House of M: Wiccan and Hulkling
by maxdacool
Summary: Billy and Tommy were always causing trouble in their grand fathers kingdom but what happens when billy falls in love with another prince. Will billy conform to his grandfathers wishes or will this prince become a pawn in Billy's plan to free the human race? (inspired by art by Cris Art) (Non con chapter 15)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Billy stood in a bored daze, next to his grand father, the all mighty King Magnus. He had been called here to the garden over thirty minutes ago... At least that's how long it felt to the young prince, maybe even longer. Between the itchy, hot royal suit his grand father had required him to wear out here and the suspense as to what he was called for, the wait was agonizing pain to the boy. He let out a sigh, turning his attention to the rose bush next to him in the garden. Most of the roses were neatly trimmed and bursting with life but one caught his attention. Small, dying in a bush radiating beauty and livelihood. Billy smiled softly and raised his hand, flicking his wrist. Instantly the Rose returned to its old vitality as if it had aged backwards. A sense of accomplishment surged through Billy's body but was brought to a swift halt by the deep and precise voice of Billy's grandfather next to him.  
"William! Don't not make a fool of me boy. Stand up straight in attention. I know I taught you the way a prince should carry himself. With dignity and patience," the word sifted out of his lips slowly but assertively.  
"Y-yes grandfather. My apologies," Billy replied standing once again at attention. Billy never cared for his grandfather much. He did not frighten Billy. He thought that his grandfather was a tyrant, that the entire house of m was corrupt. He believed that mutants and humans deserved to live together in harmony. That neither was superior over the other. Billy had grown to resent his grandfather over the years for the atrocities that he had created towards human kind but he thought it better to keep quiet, to work under the mighty King in secret. After all, Billy knew his limitation and he was no match for magneto.  
Two figures walked into the garden, under the arch of morning glories over the south entrance. One was a tall, distinguished man with long blonde hair. He was clearly built under what appeared to be royal garments he was wearing. Next to the man was a boy about Billy's age. The boy was much... Broader then the man but clearly very buff. Like the taller man, the boy shared his golden locks except the boys was trimmed clean and short.  
The two wore a symbol foreign to Billy. He was required by his grandfather to memorize the symbols and languages of the nations at his command. But this one was new. One that he must have missed or forgotten.  
The two came to a stop in front of the royal prince and King of the house of m. Magneto stepped forward and shook the hand of the man with a smile.  
"Captain, welcome," Magnus spoke cheerfully. "It is good to see you once again old friend."  
"You too Magnus. It has been much too long." The man spoke back with a smile, looking Magnus in the eyes. Billy seemed irrelevant, forgotten. What was the purpose of him being here anyhow? To oversee a meeting of friends? As if he hadn't seen enough of those. Billy's attention turned to the boy in front of him. The twos eyes locked contact almost immediately. Billy's face turned red and looked down, as did the boy. Both very embarrassed at the awkward situation. What was he doing? Inspecting Billy? Looking for a weakness? Didn't the boy know it was rude to stare?  
"William!" Magnus shouted again. "Stand up straight boy and meet my old friend captain marvel and his son..."  
"... Dorrek VIII," marvel finished Magnus's sentence with a smile, putting his arm around the boy. Dorrek smiled up at his father and then turned to Billy. "You can um call me Teddy if it's easier. It's nice to meet you." Teddy raised his arm out to Billy for him to shake. Billy just stared downed at the ground.  
"Cool great. Can I go now grandfather?"  
"William! You will treat our guests with respect or I will see to it Wanda finds out where you snuck off to last night." Billy's eyes widened as he looked up to his grandfather in disbelief. "Now. The good captain and Dorr... Teddy here have traveled a very long way to see us. For the next day, I will be showing captain marvel around the kingdom and catching up. In the mean time you will make sure teddy here gets a feel of the palace. Introduce him to your brother, your friends, you're pets..."  
"... Kate is not my pet." Billy said angrily glaring up at his grandfather, his fists clenched and beginning to glow a deep blue.  
"Miss bishop is in my employment and is what I say she is. Do we have an understanding son?" Magnus stated firmly glaring down at the boy. The twos eyes locked in a heat of furry and rage as if they were in battle. Who could intimidate the other more?  
"Fine." Billy unclenched his fists and turned to Teddy who stood looking very uncomfortably at the two. Billy reached out and grabbed the boy's hand. It was large and warm. It felt odd to touch someone else in such a way, almost inappropriate. But bully didn't care. Not after the comment about Kate. He was fueled with rage. Billy yanked the muscular boys arm and dragged him by the hand towards the castle doors with him. Billy hated this feeling inside him. Royal blood coursed through his veins, he could warp reality on a small scale, and he was in line to inherit the crown. He was the most powerful young adult in the world, but it seemed Magnus took every chance he got to remind Billy that at the end of the day, he was no more then a filthy prisoner and this castle was his cage.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Teddy stood looking up in admiration at the family portrait of the royal family, the prestigious House of M. What a large family it was. Of course there was the all mighty King Magnus a top his throne with a high and dignified look on his face. Surrounding him was his three children. Behind him was his daughter Lorna. Her long green hair draped over her face but a smile still could be seen protruding through it. She was the only one in the ports it who had decided to smile. This stroke teddy as odd but... Right. As if Lorna served some poetic justice to the portrait. Next to Magnus on either side stood his beloved twins, Wanda and Pietro.  
From what teddy had heard, Pietro was... No long with the royal family. He led a small insurgence against his father months ago that eventually led to his down fall. Some believe he was a spoiled whelp that betrayed his father for power. But rumors that had passed down suggested something else; that the traitor had been manipulated with love and devotion to another, that this love led to the prince's downfall. Teddy was unsure why Pietro looked so angry in the picture, almost scowling and wondered why an artist would paint it such a way.  
On the other side of Magnus was Pietro's other half, Wanda Maximoff. The mother of two stood, her head shrouded from others. Her two sons William and tommy stood in front of her, standing straight and in position. Like trainer soldiers.  
Teddy smiled slightly placing his fingers on the image of Billy. It was a fine family Billy had. Teddy almost envied him in a way. Having so many people to turn to. So many that loved him. Teddy never had that. The only family the young blonde haired prince knew of was his father and mother. Unlike Billy, teddy was not made of love... He was a bartering piece, a treaty between species. He had never known the loving embrace of a family as large as this. A tear fell down the young princes cheek as Billy stormed in the room behind him.  
"Hey! Don't touch that!" Billy yelled yanking Teddy's hand off of the painting. "It cost my grandfather a fortune to have it done," Billy exclaimed passing the buff prince and straightening the frame. "He commissioned it from a woman who had lost her gift of sight but gained so much more... It's his most prized possession." Billy stopped and stared at the picture a moment, his eyes focused on him and his bother. He remembered the day they had the portrait painted. Grandfather Magnus made tommy and him stand straight as a board for hours on end. He had a psychic in place to make sure the two could not move a muscle not even when the family breaker for lunch. The two were force to stand there for the better part of a day. Of course Wanda had objected at the time but Magnus insisted, claiming it would discipline the boys.  
"My apologies sir William," teddy quickly came out with a bow. "It is a lovely portrait and an even lovelier family. You must be very thankful."  
"Ya... Thankful." Billy replied, now glaring at his tyrannical grandfather. He hated the man with every fiber of his being. One day Billy would win. One day he'd show his grandfather what power he truly possessed and make him rue the day that he took advantage of tommy and him.  
"You move quick for such a big guy," bully said looking back at teddy with a cock of his head sideways. He had stepped aside one second to talk to one of the hand maidens on the tour of the palace and when he turned back around teddy had disappeared.  
Teddy smiles and blushes slightly. "Cap always said that my adventurous spirit would be the death of him."  
"Well it sure will be the death of someone," Billy mummers rolling his eyes. He could not believe that his grandfather had bestowed upon him with such a menial task. Taking care of this... This... Undisciplined, spoiled, immature prince. Billy let out a loud sigh of frustration. "Well here we continue our tour in the Royal armory. This is where grandfather houses his most valuable of weapons and trains my brother and I in the art of combat."  
Billy moved to the middle of the sparing area in the center of the room. Here for years Magnus had tortured him with hours and hours of rigorous training. On occasion he had made the bothers pick to save each other or to complete the task. Each time Billy had saved tommy and paid the price, a sliver of metal shot through the hand. Each time Tommy had completed the task and Billy had bared the same punishment. His gloved hand clenched into a fist; the young prince was permitted to wear them whenever not in the area to hide the battle scars. Magnus thought it obscene for his servants and citizen to bare witness to Billy's scars. They were his burden and his alone, for the mistake he had made. Mistake that in true battle would have cost him his life.  
While deep in his thoughts, Billy had been so caught up that he had failed to notice teddy taking his shirt off behind him. Billy turned in shock to see the bare chest of the prince, broad and glistening in the natural lighting of the room. Billy looked away and blushed. He had never seen another mans chest... Well outside of the family anyways... It was new and disconcerting. Butterflies began to consume the young princes stomach. He felt unwell.  
"Dorrek... What are you doing?!" He demanded trying to keep his gaze away from the prince's chest. But something compelled him. He wanted to look, to stare, to take it in. Why? It was just a chest. He had seen Tommy's and his grandfathers... Even his uncle Pietros plenty of times. What made this so much different? So much... More enjoyable? Was that the word for this feeling?  
"I'm getting ready to spar. Don't wanna mess up the Royal garments do we princey," teddy taunted cracking his knuckles and moving towards Billy who stood uneasily in the center of the room. "What's wrong? You look sick. Afraid you're gonna loose?"  
"Heh no," Billy replied with a smirk looking up at teddy. Their eyes locked. Teddy's were squinted, gleaming with determination. It was overwhelming for Billy, the boy who had not known this type of interaction from another person... Another boy. Growing up Billy's life has consisted of training, learning, and more training. No time for friends. No time to et attached. He had been told that attachment was weakness and he felt very attached right now. Part of Billy, the conditioned grandson of the King, was disgusted in his admiration of teddy. But the rebel side of Billy embraced it. Loved it.  
"Ok then princess. Shirt off." Teddy raised his fists to his face like a boxer. Not a preferred attack stance. It left so much open, exposed. Billy could finish this in his sleep. But maybe making teddy think he stood a chance was a good thing.  
Billy unbuttoned his shirt and removed it, throwing it to the wall. Teddy's eyes widened and he dropped his defenses.  
"What? What's wrong?" Billy asked confused.  
"Nothing," teddy said staring that Billy's chest. "I just did not realize... When people speak of your species, the speak of hairlessness. I was unaware of how hairy your species actually is, is all."  
Billy looked down at his chest and blushed, seeing it covered with hair. Yet another thing his grand father was keen on. He taught Billy that it was a sign of masculinity and would prove to others his power and worth. He had always wanted to shave it bare like his brother tommy had naturally. But Magnus denied the request saying that childhood was over and that a man would just have to live with it.  
"Species? You're not a mutant?" Billy asked confused.  
Teddy stood still not sure how to respond. He saw the red on Billy's face when he brought up the hair on the young mans chest. Teddy thought it best to change the subject.  
"I'm sorry if I offended. I didn't mean anything by it... I actually think it's very handsome." Teddy said with a sweet soft smile.  
"Ya ya," Billy said trying to push down the butterflies. "Let's get this st..."  
Before bully could finish, teddy punched him in the gut, sending him staggering back into the wall. "Lucky shot," Billy winced. Then he took a swing at teddy. Teddy quickly dodged and tackled Billy to the ground. Teddy held Billy's hands down securely to the floor and laid chest to chest with the hairy young prince, their faces inches apart. Billy struggled but Teddy's strength was... Out of this world. There was no way Billy could get up from this, at least not without using his powers. After a moment, Billy stopped struggling and looked up into Teddy's eyes. Before where there had been determination, now there was only content.  
"Ok ok. You got me. You win," Billy conceded hoping that the large mammoth of a man would get off of him.  
"Oh ya," teddy said pressing his forehead against Billy's, not dating to close his eyes. "What do I win princess?"  
Billy blushed deeply once again and looked into Teddy's eyes, worried. Were they about to... No. They were boys. Boys don't... Other boys. Right? Oh god.  
Their lips drew closer and closer. But before they could touch, a gust of wind swept through the room and both of the boys turned in the direction it had headed.  
Standing in the doorway was a young boy about Billy's age with silver hair and a green and white jump suit on. The boy leaned casually in the doorway with one eyebrow raise and his arms folded with a smirk.  
Teddy recognized him almost immediately from the picture. It was Billy's brother, Tommy.  
"Hey hot stuff, sorry to interrupt this little 'sparing' session you two are intensely practicing in but if I could, I need to talk to my bro. Then you two can get back to... This," Tommy giggled slightly walking out in the hallway. "Come on Romeo."  
Teddy got off of Billy and the young prince got up slowly, his whole life flashing before his eyes. Tommy saw... Saw that. He wasn't suppose to. What would he say? Who would he tell?!  
Billy's head began to hurt as he walked oh the doorway, still shirtless, glistening in sweat.  
Tommy stood with his back against the hallway wall with an eager grin on his face. Billy just knew what was coming. He knew that Tommy was gonna say something. That he was going to assume what happened. Nothing happened. Billy didn't even like boys... Did he?  
"You two are cute together," Tommy said with a smile. He was clearly content with the comment he had just made.  
"We aren't... Nothing happened. We were sparing!" Billy insisted angrily.  
"Look bro it's cool. I always knew where you liked it. It doesn't bother me. I swear. I love you."  
"I don't like it anywhere Tommy!" Billy yelled angrily trying to understand what he meant by that.  
"Whatever. That's not what I'm here for. I don't care," Tommy said as a more serious look came onto his face. "Grandfather is pushing the humans quarters into a tighter space. He arrested a few protesters of the new act last night. You up for a little jail break and then a rave?"  
"Rave?" Billy asked confused.  
"Some party in the Bronx. Here," Tommy pulled out a flier and handed it to Billy. It read 'miss Americas Bronx rave: a night you won't forget.' "Looked fun," Tommy continued. "I was thinking it might be a good way to let off some steam... But it looks like you have a new way of doing that."  
Billy crumbled the paper into his fist and punched the wall next to Tommy, leaving a large indent in it. Tommy's eyes widen in disbelief and he shits up.  
"You listen here and listen good. I'm not a fag. I was sparing. SPARING! You tell anyone what you saw today and I will disassemble you atom by atom. We good?" Billy stated angrily, his eyes boiling with rage that could pierce whole in his beloved twin brother. Tommy gulped slightly and placed his hand onto his brothers to calm him down.  
"Y-you're right bro. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions. You're not... You don't like guys. I know," Tommy said with a soft smile. He was lying. He had known of Billy's orientation for years. But he hated seeing his brother in such a fit of worthless rage. Third grandfather had screwed them both up but none more then Billy. Tommy placed his hand on Billy's, lowering it. "But I love you. And it wouldn't matter if..."  
"... IM NOT TOMMY!"  
"I know. But if you were I'd love you still. Ok?" Billy didn't respond. He just stood there with his hand lifeless in Tommy's. Tommy played with his brother's fingers nervously, trying to think of how to make this better. Tommy had a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and once again he had screwed up. He looked passed Billy back into the room where teddy stood getting dress. A bulb suddenly went off in Tommy's head and he smiled at his brother eagerly.  
"Yknow he is strong..." Tommy said with a sinister look on his face. "Took you down fast."  
Billy rolled his eyes in frustration, seeing where his brother was going with this. "Fine. I'll bring him. But Tommy, we are not faggots."  
"I know Billy. I know."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Smoke as black as his grand fathers soul filled young Billy Maximoff's lungs as he wearily awoke from his knocked out state. Shapes around him started turning into figures, faces. He coughed roughly as he tried difficultly to focus on his surroundings. His eyes were irritated, they wanted to staple shut but he couldn't allow that.  
"Billy!" A voice shouted out. Within seconds Teddy's face appeared above Billy, looking worried down at him. "Billy get up! Billy!" Teddy screamed frantically placing his hand in Billy's cheek. The boys once pale cheek was now stained with soot and grime.  
"Teddy it's gonna blow. You gotta get him up," a familiar voice screamed out from Billy's right. He turned his head slightly and saw his brother Tommy standing in the doorway of the metallic room that the young prince laid in with little recollection of the events that led up to now. "T-Tommy?" Billy wearily questioned, confused  
Teddy looked up at Tommy and then back down at Billy, letting his blonde hair fall over his eyes. "Get out of here Tommy" he said grimly, not daring to look at the speedster. "You're kidding right? Look goldy locks, I know you and Billy have a crush on each other but I don't think the martyr status will do either of you any good."  
"Tom... Speed, you can leave. There's no way you can take me Billy and I with you. I'll take care of him. I'll never let anything happen to him," Teddy let his hand run down Billy's cheek to his jet-black spandex costume. He let the hand test there, on Billy's faintly beating heart. "I promise." Billy looked back up at the blonde outsider. A feeling welled within the young prince. Worried? Yes, but something more. He felt Teddy's words resonate inside of him. Teddy was willing to give it up for him, everything just to keep him safe.  
Tommy stood there unsure for a moment. He too felt the sincerity in the neighboring princes words but Billy was his brother. Could he just give his trust to teddy so easily?  
The ground beneath Tommy's feet began to rumble and he peered back down the hall. The heat had intensified. "Go!" Teddy shouted assertively. Within a second, tommy was gone, once again saving himself before worrying about Billy. A tear fell down Billy's cheek as he saw the streak of white and green wiz across the room to the exit. "S-stop," teddy stammered turning Billy's face to look back up at him. His green eyes glimmered in the blaze as the peered down into Billy's. "I've got you..." Teddy clutched the thin spandex covering Billy's chest and looked down, not wanting to look Billy in the eyes. The boys face turned a green color and large wings began to sprout from his back. Soon the transformation was complete and teddy sat upright, his wings spread out in the air.  
Billy gazed up in astonishment, his eyes no longer irritated by the smoke. Maybe they were but he did not care. "Wha..." Billy began to ask but was cut short by a loud boom. Teddy quickly hunched over and moved his wings to cover Billy's body. Heat over came the small enclosure and teddy winced in pain. Sweat trickled down the alien's forehead as he moved close to Billy.  
"I... I promised that... I... Billy I..." The boy tried to speak but his thoughts were jumbled up under the intense concentration. He screamed out in pain and took Billy's hand in his, gripping it tightly, his eye now making the effort to stay open. He wanted nothing more then to die, to give up and pass out. But he couldn't. He had to keep Billy safe. He leaned down slightly and laid a kiss on the boy's lips.  
Billy's eyes open wide and his body began to glow a bright blue. Butterflies began to fill his stomach. He didn't know what to do. Kiss back? Get up? Die? As a reflex, an impulse shot through his body and to teddy. Instantly the two were transported to a rooftop nearby.  
Teddy looked down at Billy, exhausted. His wings formed back into his body and the skintight suit he once adored disappeared, leaving nothing but his bare green skin. "I p... Promised I would protect y..." Before he could finish, the now naked alien prince fell over and passed out on top of Billy.  
He looked down at Teddy's golden hair for a moment and then back up at the starry sky. He and Tommy had always tried to imagine what life was like... Out there, if there was life. As children, they had sat out under stars like this and dreamed of ancient alien cultures. The two made stories of these life forms and their past. Magnus had always thought it to be a stupid child's game but it filled both of them with hope. Hope that there was something better out there. Now for the first time in a while, Billy felt that same hope again.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The first thing Billy remembered was the smell of lavender. It was a smell that had always been with him throughout the entirety of his life. It usually reminded him of his mother, the way she would hold him when he was upset.  
When he was younger she use to patch him up after his trainings with Magnus. He could always see the pain in her eyes as she would ring out the bloody water from the rag she used to tent to his wounds. She looked so disturbed, so distinguished with herself that she could let such a thing happen to her sons, to Billy. She knew the boy wasn't weak. One day she knew that his power would come to rival her own. She knew that out of the two brothers, Billy had always been the brighter one. He was stronger, smarter, and more creative then Tommy ever could be. Billy could have bested Tommy in any challenge that their grandfather had thrown at them. So why did he always seem to loose?  
Wanda had always pondered over this question in her mind until one day it stuck her. She had been cleaning up the boy, scolding him for his loss, until she saw something, a gleam in the young princes eyes, a look of reclusiveness. He was hiding something. It was then she realized that Billy had been pulling the challenges. That he had been letting Tommy win. He had been protecting Tommy.  
In that moment Wanda's heart sank. Billy was so much more then she had ever known him for. He didn't deserve this. A boy as sweet and as kind as Billy did not deserve to endure the wrath of the king's cruelty. Not like this.  
That day Wanda held Billy in one of the longest embraces he could have remembered her holding him in. She had never been one for emotion, his mother. She was always shut off from the rest of her family even from her own children, as of grappling with some grievance... Some awful mistake she had made. But that day Billy felt the full impact of his mothers love. He could feel her soft rosy cheeks pressing into his neck, smell her thick perfume. Lavender.  
Ever since the smell had soothed him. Made him docile even in the worst of his... Fits.  
Billy cringed, clutching on the surface beneath him. Soft sheets filled his clenched fist as the boy struggled to wake up. He felt weak. Weak like he had felt every time his grandfather had knocked him to the matted sparing floor. Weak as when he felt when Magnus would abuse him, cutting deep into his flesh as punishment for insubordination.  
But there was something different. An arm wrapped around his chest. A body pressed up against his, holding him tightly, securing him. Just as he had held Tommy when they were young. When the boy would run to his brother for protection, for security.  
Billy smiled softly. Tommy protecting him? This was new, odd to be certain, but... Sweet.  
"Tommy?" The prince called out. His voice was horse and crackled through the name. It pained him to speak but Billy had never let pain stop him. He turned over in the bed and snuggled into the chest of his assumed brother. It was broader then Billy had remembered and... Shirtless? "Thanks for the save last night bro," said with a smile, hugging the body next to him.  
Tommy began to laugh... Only not sweetly, not as if he found his brothers display of affection tender. No. This was a hysterical laughter. One that Billy had only heard when Tommy decided to play one of his famous pranks of his brother or Magnus. That was not the only peculiar thing about the strange outburst of laughter. The chest Billy lay pressed against remained still, the laughter emanating from behind him.  
Billy, confused, struggled to open his eyes. Weary, the young princes eyes ran up the body he lay with. With each inch, more and more came into focus, until he reached the figures face. The face that's brilliant gaze landed on his was not that of his brothers. Nothing of the sort. It was the face of Teddy.  
Shocked, Billy screamed, jolting back and falling off the bed onto the ruff carpeting below. The carpet scratched at every inch of his body. Irritating his fair skin. Billy pulled himself up quickly, looking back at Teddy who lay stretched out, naked in his bed. Though his large reptilian wings had disappeared, his skin was still a stained scaly green. Theodore grimaced as he looked up at the angered prince with an almost constipated, awkward look. He looked embarrassed. Embarrassed that Billy had rejected his embrace.  
Billy's intent was never to make the visitor uncomfortable or feel unwanted. To a degree, Billy had enjoyed the embrace. Or did he? He did not want to speak in definites. He was straight after all. He couldn't enjoy the embrace of another man. It was wrong. Wasn't it?  
Quickly, upon realizing Theodore's nakedness, Billy's attention turned forward to his little brother.  
Enraged, Billy stepped closer to the laughing cretin. He could strangle the life out of squealing little face. Squeeze the life out of his wheezing thought.  
"Oh my god!" Tommy continued. "That was rich. You thought he was me?! Nah bill. I love you. You know I do. But cuddle with you while we are both naked? Not my thing. But you didn't seem to mind." Tommy taunted, commencing his laughter.  
Naked? He wasn't na... Billy looked down to his bare, hairy figure. The boys face turned a bright red as his fists clenched beside him.  
He felt utterly humiliated. He hated this feeling, especially in front of teddy. He felt so belittled, letting Tommy get the best of him. He had let Tommy win too many times. Let him get away with anything out of love, out of a feeling of protectiveness. But this crossed the line.  
Billy grabbed Tommy by the chest of his emerald spandex and yanked him up out of his chair where he had been resting while he waited for the two to wake. The whimsical smile quickly faded off of the boys face. He peered into his brother's eyes. They had changed. Where once sat beautiful brown works of art now lay am enrage red, thirsting for blood. Tommy quivered slightly; trying not to appear scared when it was clear he was.  
Teddy rose out of the bed, worried for the boy's safety. He too sensed Billy's anger. His humiliation. He was ready to protect Tommy, to pry the two off of each other if necessary.  
"Dude you're stretching the material," Tommy stated glance from Billy to his costume. It was his most prized possession. Tommy had hardly ever taken the stupid thing off, even at the request of his grandfather. Something about it had always made him feel safe, feel in charge. He would be ruined without it. His comment was no joke. He loved the suit almost a much as he did Billy. It was his preverbal security blanket. He couldn't go on without it.  
The comment only enraged Billy. He could not believe how selfish his twin could be. He stood fully naked before him with the love of his... A fellow prince behind them and he was worried about his suit. "Where are my fucking clothes Tommy?" Billy gritted out slowly. He was not in a mood to play childish games.  
"They... They got burned... Charred beyond recognition. I took them off of you and put you two in bed to recover. It was the smart thing to do. What is wrong with any of that?!" Tommy screamed in defense. He felt attacked, backed into a corner, defenseless.  
"Because you know it wasn't right Tommy. You know how I feel. You know I..." Billy stopped himself, biting down hard on his tongue. He glared into Tommy's eyes, daring him not say the words for him. But Tommy had already seen the opportunity and he took his chance.  
"What Billy?! That you're a fucking faggot?! That you like teddy?! You should be thanking me! I got the guy naked in your bed you fucking pussy! Well whatever. I don't even care. I cannot wait to tell grandfather. He'll hate you, you fag! He'll never take you seriously again!"  
Tears began to rush out of Billy's eyes. He could have... Should have expected this. Tommy was an immature little brat. He refused to grow up even in the least, saying anything he could to upset Billy. He had done it on countless occasions. It was like a challenge to see who would cry first and each time, Billy had lost. Thrown it just like everything else. But this was different.  
This time he felt a rage, a hatred that he had never felt before in his life. He wanted to beat Tommy down. Strike the pestilent brat for every time he had abandoned him. He was done coming in second place, throwing challenges, barring the hatred of his grandfather all for this ungrateful little twerp.  
But before he could raise his arm to strike the boy, he felt a large, strong grip on his right shoulder. Immediately a wave of clarity rushed over the prince's body, his grip on Tommy letting up slightly. "Billy..." Teddy spoke. His words were soft but pierced the boy's ears, his heart.  
Tommy watched carefully as his brother's eyes changes from red back to the brown slates they had once been. He once again saw his chance. With a blink of an eye, Tommy was gone, using his super speed to quickly vacate the room.  
The two princes of difference lands stood there for a moment in utter silence. Humility and embarrassment filled the air around the two. Teddy had been very confused the entire conversation. Never once had he heard the word fag used in a sentence. It seemed hateful and negative. It was used as an insult, a branding. But why? What was it and why was it so bad? This mystery would have to wait though. Right now the two had more pressing matters.  
Teddy had felt a strong attraction for Billy since his arrival. He had hoped the two would grow close and he thought that they were. That Billy had the same feelings. He was very confused by the boy's reluctance. Was it this form? Was it that he was an alien? Or was it Billy's own problem? Maybe someone else had hurt him. Or maybe love was different here. Maybe one was not suppose to give into such urges. The boy had heard of societies where only royalty and specific people were aloud to love but he never thought the earth was one of them.  
Teddy let his hand drift down Billy's arm and down into his hand, clutching it tightly.  
"May we talk?" Teddy asked cautiously, trying to scare the boy off. Billy nodded silently, wiping his tears away and teddy led him over to the bed where the two sat down next to each other.  
Once again the two sat in silence. Billy's eyes moved away from teddy, glancing around every part of the room but at him. Teddy felt uncomfortable, confused now more then ever. Was this form scaring the boy? Should he change back into a human or is that more creepy? Nevertheless, the foreigner was desperate to break the silence.  
"Your body is beautiful," he stated blatantly in an attempt to compliment the human.  
"What?!" Billy exclaimed looking back to the mutated humanoid. With all that had happened with Tommy, he had forgotten that he was fully naked. Billy glanced around for something to cover up with but alas there was nothing. He placed his hands over his member in an attempt to conceal it. This only brought Teddy's attention to the area. He starred down at the hand, cocking his head.  
"You body. You seemed embarrassed by it but I must say it is one of the most beautiful I have seen. The hair is interesting. I like it." He continued, bewilder at the boys actions.  
"No. I know what you meant. I get it. It's just... Not a usual compliment I suppose. More of a derogatory thing to say."  
"Oh..." Teddy said sadly. He meant no offense by the comment it was just... Everything seemed backwards here. He had never seen a race so prone to conceal their bodies. He looked away, ashamed at this mistake.  
Billy noticed the saddened look in the Giants green eyes. He was trying. That much was apparent. Billy removed his hands from his crotch and placed one on Teddy's leg.  
"I am sorry sire. Please forgive me. I am just not use to this kind of attention. I am... Flattered."  
"I am too. Things are much different here. I do not understand much of this world or its people. It is all very vexing bi... Sir William." Teddy felt as if the formalities were over for now. He should address the prince by his title. Be professional. He wanted Billy at ease and that seemed to do it.  
"So you are not from my grandfathers kingdom?" Billy inquired, his body becoming more relaxed as the conversation drifted onward.  
"No. I am a prince of two empires in space. Long ago, a war was raged between the skrull and kree empires. To end the war, a child was conceived of the royalty of both races. I was a peace treaty conceived to stop a war-waging galaxy from self-destruction. For years my father has been dragging me all of the Galaxy, teaching me the honor and technique of being a prince so that one day I may rule. Lately I have been search the Galaxy for a mate. The one thing every true king needs. My father was alerted to the potential of one on this planet and that's why we are here. Honestly... I thought it was you William."  
A shutter rang through Billy's body as he shot off of the bed. It all made sense now. Magnus had planned this from the start. Yet another successful attempt at humiliating Billy. He felt as if he couldn't trust anything anymore.  
"I'm a boy!" Billy shouted in outrage.  
Teddy smiled and cocked his eyebrow with a slight laugh. He did not understand the outrage of the boy. At first he believed the comment to be a joke. "As am I William." He spoke with a scoff.  
"It's wrong! Boys... Men... Princesses marry princesses. Boys like girls."  
Teddy looked at Billy strangely, not knowing how to respond to the concept. Was this truly what he believed? That men could not be attracted to other men? That seemed odd. Theodore knew of many male couples in the Galaxy. It hardly seemed out of the ordinary. In many cultures it was an art form. Never before had he stumbled across one that it was a taboo. How medieval, he thought.  
"No they like boys too. Just like you like me. Or at least I thought you did." Teddy got up, stepping closer to Billy. With each step he took towards the boy, Billy took another back.  
"On the mats we almost exchanged a kiss. Just a few moments ago you were nuzzling into my body for warmth... For comfort. You were enjoying yourself. Wouldn't you love you feel that all the time? Ruling by my side as my loyal King and I as yours?"  
Billy's back hit the wall he was trapped, nowhere to go. Teddy stepped closer until his body was pressed firmly up against Billy's. Their chests scraped together with each breath. Billy found himself light headed. He wanted to faint. He felt like he might for a moment.  
"We could be together, happy. We could travel the Galaxy together or just stay here, playing, exploring, as young ones would do." He places the back of his hand on Billy's cheek, rubbing it softly.  
"N-no." Billy objected. He didn't mean it. Sweat poured out of the prince's body as his heart rate rose. Teddy's touch was intoxicating. It made him want more. Want it all. But it could never happen. Could it?  
"Your mouth says no but your body says yes. That is what I mean when I speak of a man attracted to another man." Teddy remarked with a cocky smirked, making darted glanced down at Billy's hardened member.  
Billy's face grew red, as it had been before. An annoyed looked coming onto his face. "You need to go teddy. I have much to do."  
Teddy nodded, his royal garments forming over his body. The hue of his face flushed a peach color as he backed off of the boy; his cocky smirk never retreating from his perfectly sculpted face. "As you wish my lord." And with that the alien exited the room, shutting the door behind him.  
As the door clicked shut, Billy fell to the floor, panting wildly. So many thought rushed through the young princes mind. Had Magnus set up their relationship?! What had just happened? He was so bewildered. New emotions erupted out of him. Emotions that he had never dealt with before, never felt. He wanted to explore this, to fall in love with Teddy. But it wasn't right. Was it?  
These were all things Billy had to put to rest. But first he had to do something much more important. He had to speak with Tommy. He had to make things right with his twin before everything he had worked for went to hell. And knowing Tommy, that could happen fast.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Billy's mind raced as he stood in front of his bedroom mirror. His hands trembled, desperately trying to button up his royal attire so that he could begin his day. His mind should have been on the mission that took place last night. He should have been thinking of an alibi, a way to explain how he was not that the breakout and had nothing to do with the event. But all he could think of was teddy.  
Billy pondered over the boys golden hair, how messy and charred it had been and yet still seemed to shine. His beautiful green eyes had pierced Billy's soul with a burning rage of passion. Everything about teddy was... Intriguing to say the least.  
Then Billy remembered how the young alien had resisted the reason he and his father had traveled here in the first place. In search of a mate. Had Magnus known this entire time? Set the entire thing up in some sick attempt to torture William once more? It seemed to give his grandfather pleasure to see him in so much pain, so much confusion. He had always resented Magnus for that reason in particular. He never seemed to torture Tommy or subject him to any of the same training that he had Billy. Tommy was the favorite, Billy had always surmised, that's was why he got away with anything he wanted.  
Prince William finished getting dressed, buttoning the collar with a large sigh of exhaustion. He stood there, examining himself in the crystal clear mirror before him. The suit was tight as it had always been. So many tassels and other unnecessary extravagant sundries hung off of the chest and shoulders, making the outfit glimmer and stand out from any others in the kingdom. He had always hated the way he was forced to dress. Even in his own home he was not permitted to comfort. A prince was expected to be dressed for every possible occasion, to be ready for any visitor to arrive, no mater how common or famous. This was something that his mother and grandfather had always agreed upon, not that the boy had much free time on his hands to relax anyways.  
His normal mornings were filled with rigorous workouts and training. The afternoons were then booked with parliamentary meetings that required the Kings attention. Magnus never permitted Billy to speak during these meetings. He was told long ago that his opinion was of no matter to the council. He was to stand by his king's side until the meetings were over hours later. Then he would be tasked with speaking to Magnus's honored guests, presenting himself as prim and proper as humanly possible. It sickened Billy to be in a room of that many closed minded people. To hear them speak of the human ridden ghettos as extermination areas and not of areas that needed improvement. He detested the constant proposal of outlawing all human activity. Many times he had trying to speak out against the blatant tyranny to only be met with the swift backhand of his grand father and a sentence to starvation for the rest of the night.  
Billy carried great disdain for his duties but with his grandfather still gone, he knew not what to do. Would he still be forced to attend those horrid meetings? Not if he had a choice in the matter.  
With that thought in mind, Billy walked out his bedroom, ready to start a grandfatherless day of enjoyment. Sadly, his good mood was put to an abrupt end as he exited the room. There, waiting just outside was his personal babysitter and protector, Daken.  
Billy hated the idea of an escort especially one as brash and impulsive as the compatriot before him. Daken had always sickened the boy, in many ways the escort was worse then his father. A sadist, the man seemed to enjoy the boys pain, cracking a smile or scoff every time Magnus had struck the boy. On occasion he even through his hat into the ring, using his boned claws to pierce Billy's shoulder blade or slice his cheek.  
Of course Magnus would choose to live out his sick trainings and tortures vicariously through that monster. Even now he stood, leaning against the wall with a cocky smirk plastered on his face. He looked Billy up and down with a look that Billy had seen a million times before, a look of hunger, of depravity, of sexual desires and frustration. He was like a primal beast, ready to pounce on the beast. Luckily Magnus held his shields leashes short. They were forbidden to touch the princes unless given explicit instructions, which very rarely occurred.  
The man tilted his head upward, sniffing the air around him, an intoxicating look washing over him as his eyes widened in shock at the young prince before him.  
"My your highness you look ravishing as always. May I ask what that new scent is you're wearing? It smells... Musky. I didn't take you for the type for such a decedent smell." Daken was aware of what had happened. Billy could see it in his cold hardened eyes, glaring at him as if Billy were his next meal. The boy looked away and began to walk to the dining hall, trying his beast to not play into the man's harassment.  
"I do not know what you speak of." He replied as he continued walking. What Daken smelled was no doubt what Billy had been smelling all morning himself. He remembered rolling over in the bed to Teddy's embrace. The warm almost unearthly smell that comforted him, made him docile. He could have nuzzled into the aliens breasts all day, letting the scent waft into his nostrils, filling his brain with calm and soothing thoughts.  
"Oh no no no. You know what I speak of," Daken said grabbing onto Billy's shoulder. The boy's eyes widened. Daken would never in his right mind touch him without his masters consent meaning Magnus must have granted the wretched cretin the privilege upon his departure.  
He ripped the prince back with a hard yank, smashing him into the wall next to them. He pressed his body up to the boys, laying his hand on the wall above Billy's shoulders, trapping him there, defenseless. When teddy had done this Billy felt... Safe, comforted almost. No matter how close the alien had gotten, he only wanted him closer. His heart had raced but in the way one did when experiencing something truly exciting, truly amazing. When Daken commuted the action Billy only felt weak and terrified, wondering what the mutant's next action would be. No part of him wanted this from Daken. He only wished it to be over.  
Billy cringed as Daken moved to the side of his neck, pressing his nose done upon it and sniffing ferociously, letting his other hand plant itself firmly on the boy's side. He squeezed Billy tightly as he inhaled, letting the aroma fill him up just like Billy had done not long ago.  
"It's so... Foreign. Reminds me of that little alien boy my lord invited to stay the week." Daken remarked innocently as if he had no clue that the odor belonged to teddy. Billy's body began to shake as Daken continued to speak, moving away from his neck and up to the boys ear.  
"But that would mean... Gasp. Billy are you finally playing for my team? I'm so shocked." Daken whispered in the boy's ear seductively, effectively teasing the boy, frightening Billy into submission. "Good think Magnus gave me full control of your training all week long... We are going to get very personal." The man punctuated his sentence with a soft clamp of his teeth on the lobe of Billy's ear.  
The distraught prince closed his eyes in fear. He wanted to push the animal off. To tell him to stop, scream for help, but all he could do was stand there, frozen in the arms of his appointed guardian for the week ahead. He felt helpless to do anything.  
Then suddenly, Daken was retracted from Billy with a quick and precise yank. Billy's eyes shot open to see what had made his violent escort desist on his advances. There before the prince stood a young girl with hair as black as the night sky. Her lavender colored eyes locked with Daken's yellow slates, both in a defensive stance as if an all out brawl was about to take place.  
Daken growled angrily as her glared at the girl that had taken away from exercising his desires. "What's the deal?! I was just..."  
"Just what? Sexually harassing the prince? I'm sure king Magnus would love to hear of the abusive way you have been using your newly acquired power," she countered, not backing down from the Warriors challenge.  
"And he would belief a human wretch like you?!" Daken exclaimed with a scowl. He knew the answer to the question. He knew of Magnus's plans for Billy and how his advances could fool with that. The human had a point that he could not poke a hole in.  
Defeated, Daken stood back normally, letting down his defenses and turning to the prince who still stand pressed up against the wall. "You are expected at the council meeting today and if you don't show there will be consequences. Understood?" Daken spoke in a deep assertive voice that resonated in Billy's soul. He was almost certain that at this point Daken could not harm him his he wanted to but he was not willing to take the chance by defying his wishes. He would attend the conference and stand there quietly. The last thing he wanted was an over time training session of just he and the escort.  
"Yessir," Billy said shaking his head rapidly. With that, Daken left, not daring to harass the boy any longer. There would be time for that later behind closed doors. For now the predator had to wait to catch his prey. Something he did not mind. Daken had always loved a challenge and Billy was the biggest of them all.  
After the man was out of site, the two turned to each other, both exchanging a giddy and exuberant smile with each other, a smile that only long aquatinted friends may share. Without any longer delay, the two embraced, each holding tightly in the others arms.  
Kate bishop was one of the only people Billy had regarded as family in the castle. She had always been there for him, even in the toughest of situations, saving his as more times then he could count. In many ways Kate had always been the sister he never had. She was one of the few people within these walls that genuinely cared for him. That risked everything she had to be there for him. Part of it was a complex that Kate possessed but part of her constant self-sacrifice was a feeling of debt that she owed the benevolent prince for what he had done for her all those years ago.  
Kate Bishop had never known her family. She was abandoned in the ghettos at a young age, left to scavenge for herself, to do what she could to survive. One night she had been caught trying to steal food from a caravan to the royal palace. She would have been put to death on the spot if it had not been for Billy who ordered the guards to stop their actions just as they had almost pulled the trigger. That day Billy made a promise to his grandfather. He promised to become the prince that Magnus had always wanted, the one he needed, if he would spare the girls life and make her a servant for the royals, assuring she would never go hungry again.  
Ever since that day, Kate refused to let anything happen to Billy when she could. But she still saw the things she couldn't stop. She had been forced to on more then one occasion to clean the boy's wounds with the princess Wanda. Each time she felt ridden with guilt upon seeing each scar forced onto the boy's body by his grandfathers training. Wanda had always refused to speak to her. Whether it was because Kate was a servant or because she was aware of what Billy had done was unclear to the girl but she always suspected the latter.  
Kate pulled back from the hugs and looked at Billy seriously, examining the prince's fair and red face for any visible damage by the brute. "Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" She questioned thoroughly, using her hand to tilt the boys cheeks to continue her inspection.  
He smiled and laughed halfheartedly at her remark, placing his hand on hers. "Only my pride dear, only my pride," he replied sweetly, trying not to worry the girl too much.  
"Good," she stated with a sympathetic smile. Then she frowned, aggressively letting the back of her hand meet the prince's cheek. "What the hell were you thinking?!" she exclaimed angrily in disapproval of the boys actions.  
Billy winced, rubbing his now sore cheek. "I was thinking of getting breakfast. Would you care to join?" He replied, confused at the servants rash behavior.  
"The entire kingdom heard of the break out at Rykers and I know it was you and Tommy! What the hell Billy?! There are dangerous criminals now on the streets because of you two!"  
"And innocent humans," Billy rebottled in defense of his actions. He did not necessarily disagree with the girl on the topic. Many dangerous villains had been let out in the jail break which was a mistake that the three did not plan on happening. Sadly there was nothing they could do now. The prisoners would be caught in time and the innocents are free. That's what was important. He refused to admit that his actions were wrong, especially in the presence of a servant, especially in the presence of Kate.  
She let out a deep sigh, rolling her eyes, finding it hard to argue with the boy. "God, when will you ever stop letting Tommy control you?" She asked rhetorically, not expecting an answer.  
Billy's head tilted away at the mention of his brother, the memory of his words flooding back into Billy's mind. The hate in his eyes as he humiliated Billy in front of teddy, as he spewed out hatred. It was unlike Billy had ever witness, so much hatred and so unprompted. Maybe being gay was wrong. His brother hated him before he even had time to figure things out.  
"Looks like you won't have to worry about that any longer..." He stated in allusion to the incident. Before she could ask, he answered her question for her. "Don't ask. It's not worth it right now. I just want to sit down to some warm pancakes and forget this morning ever happened, cool?" He asked looking back his friend. She smiled in agreement.  
"Cool," she replied.  
The two then began to walk hand and hand down the hall toward the sweet aroma of buttermilk pancakes.

The two walked into the grand dining room of the palace. It's structure was one of Magnus's greatest works of arts. He always had believed that this was one of the most important rooms in the kingdom. A place for families to commune, for dignitaries to feast, for him it had to be perfect and that it was.  
Now however, the large room was nearly empty. The only individuals that resided in the room were Billy, Kate and Wanda who sat at the head of the table, eating her breakfast as a newspaper hovered before her, unfolded so the woman could read. Billy remembered a time when she had been unable to do that, a time when she and the rest of them had been constantly pestered by constant speech and foolish pranks. A time before Pietro had been thrown into the dungeon and forgotten about. Billy missed his uncle. He did not believe quick silver to be the villainous traitor that everyone had portrayed him as. There always seemed to be more to the story then everyone let on. Different reasons for his actions then those listed.  
Upon seeing Wanda, Kate placed her hand on Billy's shoulder, shooting him a look of urgency. She did not want to be here. Not while the princess sat at the table. Billy understood and nodded, giving her permission to leave. With that the girl quickly rushed out of the room, ducking into the kitchen.  
Billy walked over to the large table and took a seat down to the left of his mother. There had already been a plate of food laid out for the boy but it seemed to be less then steaming hot at this point. Billy frowned at the dish before him, wishing there was a microwave close by.  
"Well, look who finally decided to show up." Wanda scoffed angrily, the paper floating away to reveal the mothers look of rage. Billy did a half smile, trying his best to look at innocent as possible. He didn't know why he tried. It never worked with her. The boy shrank in his seat, hoping his vicious mother could no longer see him.  
"Apologies mother... Something... Came up."  
"Something more important then family?" She questioned, folding her arms over her chest. Billy grimaces at the action. It was something he had picked up about his mother over the years. She only folds then when's she's fed up to the highest degree. Billy knew that there was no getting out of this one. "I don't ask for much William. I'm not your grandfather. I don't ask you to give away your life for me or to do meaningless tasks. All I have ever asked is that in the morning, every morning, we have a meal together as a family. I don't think that's too much to ask. So imagine my dismay when I come to the table and only Lorna is there. So I waited. Tommy eventually came, although he was dressed in that wretched spandex costume and in a sour mood. At least he showed." She sounded hurt. Billy could feel it in her voice and maybe she had a right to be. The two had never had a strong bond as mother and son. They seldom did get to see each other and speak about their lives. Most of the time the mother and son were estranged thanks to Magnus.  
"I'm sorry mother," he said with a dower tone to his voice as he evaded her gaze. He couldn't take another family member being mad at him.  
Wanda sighed, letting her body relax. This was not how she had wanted to approach the situation. She had not meant to be so hostile. She just loved the boy so much. So much to not want to see him corrupted and made cruel by Magnus's training. She held a hand out, using her reality warping powers to turn the dish warm again. Billy looked shocked then wondered why he did not think of that in the first place.  
"It's fine. Why don't you start off by explaining to me why you were late this morning? Was it that prince that's staying here?"  
The room grew quiet. Billy was reluctant to answer the question but his mother had already taken his abrupt silence as confirmation of her suspicions. Her face softened as she looked to her son with wide eyes. That same excepting look Tommy had given just a day before. She reached for him but he took his hand away, not wanting to take solace in others. That look sickened him. He knew they meant well but all it kept reminding him was that he was different from them and he didn't want to be.  
"Billy..." She began but was interrupted by her son who in an outrage of anger and pain shot up from the table.  
"IM NOT GAY!" He proclaimed. "I'm not. Would you all just stop it already?! You and Tommy just don't know when to stop!"  
His mother seemed taken back by his exuberant outburst and tried her best to calm him. She wished he could except who he was. She would never love him any less for it but she understood. He faced the same problems many mutants had before Magnus took over. Gladly, she would never have to feel that way again. Alone, secluded from everyone, different. She never really had felt that way after all. She had Pietro there for her. Protecting her whenever things got tuff. But Billy was different. He was the mature one. Always looking after Tommy. Never letting anything happen to his younger twin. She suspected Tommy however seldom returned the favor. He had no one. He felt confused and alone.  
"Is that what happened between you two?" She asked. "Did you all get into a fight?"  
Billy looked away, taking his seat once again. He did not wish to talk about it but he knew his mother would persist until she got her answer. "He's... Just immature. He tried embarrassing me in front of the... The prince. I got mad and he..." Billy stopped, biting his lower lip as tears began to form in his eyes. He hated reliving that vicious moment. Wanda walked over, placing her hands on the boy's shoulders. She has heard enough. She hated seeing the boy so hurt and in pain such as this.  
"Billy... I know you're reluctant in the matter... But if you need help or someone to speak to... I truly think your uncle would be able to help in this particular area."  
"The traitor?"  
"No Pietro. Your loving uncle who saw you through many tough times when your father was absent. The one that will help you through this Billy. Do you truly believe that man is the villain of our story of the victim? The victim of his father, of manipulation from one he loved?"  
Billy's head shot up as he looked back to his mother. Had she just confirmed the rumors of Pietro's affair? Of his secret romance with prince Namor? He wanted to ask more but his mother put her fingers over his lips, shushing him.  
"If you wish to speak on the matter, speak to Pietro. I must be going. I have a long day ahead of me. But promise you'll have a word with him."  
Billy sat there for a moment and then looked back to his mother with a gleam of curiosity in his eyes. He nodded in affirmation. "I promise."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Pietro Maximoff lay in his prison cell bed as he had day in and day out, living out the rest of his life in the confined walls that imprisoned him. He detested the cell, made to resemble that of a filthy commoner. This was not Rykers. It was the royal palace. One would have thought that the grand mutant King would spring a little luxury for his only son.  
Pietro had been here for months now, a scuffs silver beard beginning to form on his face. The beard was not forced. He had shaving equipment; he just thought the task pointless. No one but the guards could see him in here. The only reason the heir had shaved his face before was upon the request of his father and he certainly was no longer looking to impress him.  
Pietro often contemplated what had gotten him sentenced to this hell, the inciting incident for all of the kingdoms recent troubles. Months ago, Pietro had teamed up with prince Namor of Atlantis. The aquatic prince had promised him power beyond his wildest beliefs and... Other more permanent promises that had always intrigued the prince more. He had trusted Namor. He believed in the man, that they would rule together, equally, once his father had been over thrown. Sadly Namor had other ideas. He wished to betray Pietro. In that moment, Pietro realized what he had done, the true mistakes that he had made, but by then it was too late.  
Lorna and a band of human rebels retook the kingdom and Pietro was sentenced to imprisonment for life, here in the bowels of the castle. His father made it explicitly clear that the man was to be treated no different then any other inmate. He was to be monitored to the fullest extent and was not permitted any special privileges. Upon his entry to the facility he was given a tank top, briefs and an orange jumpsuit. The jumpsuit usually hung low on Pietros waist, exposing the tank top underneath. He found the color atrocious and the material uncomfortable.  
He hardly ever left his bed unless it was to work out or use the rest room. Many of his days were spent recounting and planning. Planning what he would do if he could ever escape, if he were to get back into his fathers graces.  
His deep trance of thought was broken as the airlock sealing the door shut compressed, sending large plots of smoke up in the air around the door, covering its entrance from view. The exiled prince shot up in his bed, staring at the door in disbelief. Not once in the eight months that he had been imprisoned here had the door been open. Even the guards teleported his food and clothes in and out through the use of mutant servants around the castle. How peculiar that the door should open now of all times.  
Pietro wanted to make a break for it. He wished nothing more then to run out of the roof in a blur of speed, past all of the guards and into freedom that lay beyond the palace walls. But something kept him planted in his spring box bed.  
He did not understand it at first but he did not feel the need to leave. It was almost as if he knew he had to stay, to repay his father for his misdeed to the nation. Pietro gritted his teeth, fight the urge to run as the door slid all the way open.  
After a moment the smoke cleared and there in the middle of the doorway stood a tall figure cloaked in a red cape. The figure pulled back his hood to reveal his tender, supple face to the thrones rightful heir. A look of happiness graced Pietro's face as his pure blue eyes landed on the familiar face before him. With a blur of speed, the exuberant uncle was inches in front of his nephew. Before Billy had time to speak, Pietro wrapped his arms around the boy and squeezed him tightly, lifting him up off of his feet.  
Billy wheezed out. If the tight spandex had not already squeezed the air from his longs, his uncle sure wanted to help finish its job. While the hug was uncomfortable it was also so how relaxing to the boy. He had been worried about what may have happened to his beloved family member. He fretted over how eight months of confinement may have changed the man. Being met with wide-open arms put the boy at ease.  
He was after all the same man Billy had known all of his life, the same loving uncle that had always been more of a father to him then any living being on the planet. When the boys were younger, Pietro would take them to the farthest corners of the globe, immersing them in the most exquisite and peculiar cultures that Billy had never even heard of.  
Tommy had almost been so much more like their uncle in many ways. They were both gifted with the mutant ability of speed and both shared their notorious silver locks. The two often had raced, each testing the other, growing fast and stronger with each race.  
He may have shared with Tommy in physical characteristics but Pietro's heart had always been drawn to Billy. He had taken it upon himself to teach the boy from an early age but ended up doing so much more. He was there in Billy's darkest moments, holding him in his arms when he was frightened of scared always assuring Billy everything would be ok, giving the boy the strength and love to get through the night. These were the happiest moments Billy had possessed from his questionable childhood.  
Pietro's eyes were clenched tightly shut as his face dug into the side of Billy's neck, staining his pale skin with tears of joy. He pulled back, letting the boy dog and peered into his brilliant brown eyes. The eyes that had so many times looked up to him in loving admiration, with a questioning accusation, with a frightened fearful look in need of protection, or simply with a look of determination to complete the task at hand. The man's smile got larger, his eyes barely able to leave Billy's. Each blink was quick, in fear that when his eyes opened again, the nephew that he had raised from an infant would disappear in thin air like he had so often before. But each time there the boy stood, unchanged.  
"My god. I missed you," he laughed out, running his hand through the back of Billy's moderately trimmed hair. He had grown so much in eight months. Upon initial inspections Pietro had seen the difference. The certainty in Billy's eyes had given it away at first glance. He had ventured very far along the rode to becoming a man, a true ruler, and he was so close to the end of that rode. Pietro's cheeks gleamed bright red with pride and joy in the boy he held so close to him all of these years.  
Billy let out a pent up breath, taking in the differences he now saw in his uncle. He was a bulkier man now, built up with hardened muscle and rugged features, a sure sign that he had not used his powers in a very long time. His body's metabolism had not been worked out. It had slowed slightly. Billy wondered in his uncle had trained for that or it were just a side effect of laying in the small cell for such an extended amount of time. The young prince observed the scruffy silver beard that had scratch his neck in the men's initial embrace. It was odd yet somehow suited the man. Billy did not know why but he liked the look on his uncle. It made him look so much more fatherly and so much less like the arrogant confused man he had been eight months prior.  
Billy returned the smile to his uncle and laughed slightly at the comment, blushing as his uncle continued to stare. "I uh like the beard." He remarked playfully with a snicker.  
Pietro raised an eyebrow cockily. "The lady's do too kid."  
The comment sent a chill down Billy's spine. Suddenly he had regretted coming here in the first place. The smile fades from his face, replaced with that of a worried, frightful child. He immediately began to think of the repercussions of his actions here today and began to regret each and every one of them. His uncle would never understand what was happening. He would look at Billy as the rest of them did. With that fake look of understanding and acceptance when truly they all contemplated the boys faults. While they spoke hateful words behind his back and began to treat him as less then he was. He wanted to turn. To leave. Maybe he should. He could not take his uncle hating him as much as Magnus does, as much as Tommy had. He looked away, shamefully and became reclusive from his uncle, unwilling to speak anymore, in fear of exposing his secret perversion to the man he regarded as a father.  
But Pietro caught the look of self-doubt in the boy's eyes before they turned away. He could feel Billy pulling back emotionally. The man placed his hand on Billy's shoulder reassuringly and tried to meet the boy's gaze. Though it was hidden, the man was able to make out the boys pupils as they fixated on the ground below. "Hey kid. Is everything ok? Was it something I said? Look I'm sorry I just haven't seen you or anyone in a while. I know I may be a little... Odd but I just missed you all. A lot."  
"No it's not that..." Billy began. He loved his uncle with all of his heart. Seeing him here today reminded him of a happier time in his life, a time before the training with Magnus. A time of childhood bliss where all that was required of him was to be attentive and pleasant. Now things seemed so much more complicated. He should not have even thought of tainting his uncle with the idea or problems of today. He should have just let his uncle's memory live happily as it had in the forefront of his mind through all of those torturous years. "... It's nothing. I'm sorry I must go. Daken is expecting me." He swiveled around and began to walk towards the door but was stopped as a hand clamped down on his wrist. He looked back at his uncle who held him firmly there, not letting his hold on the boy go. He looked seriously at Billy, his comforting eyes piercing Billy's soul, taking his breathe away. He felt suddenly at ease. That nothing he could say would ever make his uncle hate him.  
"Billy, they won't let your mother see me. Magnus had forbidden it. She's all I had my entire life until you boys came along and now I have nothing. You remind me so much of her. Your hair, your eyes, your determination to do anything right no matter the risk. I miss it. Please. Just stay. Talk to me."  
Billy's body relaxed as his drifted back towards his uncle. He nodded slightly, agreeing to stay by the man's side. He had to finish this. He had to tell Pietro why he was here. Each second the words pounded inside of his throat, aching to be released into the air. He didn't want to say them. But he knew they were true. He knew he had to say them, to tell someone.  
"I'm gay." Billy said, shutting his eyes, not willing to see the looked on his uncle's face when he said the words. They felt so vile, so foreign coming out of his mouth. He hated the taste they left in their trail of destruction. Tears became to form under his eyelids. He tried desperately to hold them back but nothing would work. He could not help but think he had just ruined everything with his uncle. He expected to feel the man's knuckle grace his cheek with such a speed that it would knock him back out the way he came.  
Billy flinched as he felt the man's hand touch down lightly on his cheek, wiping away the tears that trailed down them. The young prince hesitantly opened his eyes to look back at his uncle. He waited desperately for the man to say something, to disapprove. But he simply stepped back.  
Silently, Pietro walked back over the bed, sitting down on its edge. He looked up at the ceiling, biting his lower lip, searching for the correct words to respond with. Maybe it was best just to say what the boy had clearly come here to hear. Maybe it was best to begin with a story. Pietro let out a sigh and look back at Billy who stood tall, quivering In fear of how his uncle would respond.  
"I uh... I loved someone once. Magnus had sent me to Atlantis on a diplomatic mission to seek out king Namor. My stay there was normal enough in the first few weeks but something had always caught my attention. Namor... He had this way of looking at me... Any time I spoke or delivered a speech he would always be sitting there atop his throne with this smirk on his face, examining me. He hardly listened to what I had to say. He was often too busy watching me. One night I was uh... Vulnerable and went to the Kings room. We talked for the longest time and then we... Kissed... And he threw me down and..." Pietro looked back into Billy's eyes with a serious look in his eyes. "From that moment on I was in love. Madly. Instead of standing before him, I would stand beside him on the throne like a loyal lap dog. Our rendezvous became more and more frequent and soon enough I had moved into his quarters. I truly believed that Namor loved me. That he... That he wanted me and only me. He had this way of placing me above all others, making me feel on top of the world. Then he proposed that we overthrow Magnus. If Magnus were to die, the kingdom would go to you soon enough and the window for my rule was small. Once we had the kingdom, we would marry and live happily ever after. At least that's what he promised. He had other ideas in mind as we all soon found out. I did love him but I'm not gay. There was something about Namor that was different. I feel in love with him for him, none of his physical features. Sadly he did not feel the same for me. I'm not gay Billy but I know how it feels to be alone. To be used and treated like a slave in your own home. So if you need to talk about it... I'm here."  
Billy nodded, confused now more then ever about sexual orientation. Somehow though he felt more at ease. Somewhere along the way, the tears had ceased and his shoulders had slumped. He was no longer concerned about his own problems but now about his uncle. He didn't deserve to be here. He was as much a victim as any.  
"Here?! Uncle the door is wide open. We can leave. We can..."  
"No. We can't. Billy I committed treason against the king. No matter who I am, I must pay for what I have done. I don't get off just because I was used. Not just because I was gullible enough to believe a douche. I'm going to lay here for the rest of my life until I have redeemed myself in the eyes of my father and you are going to stay also. Whoever or whatever you're running from, you can't run fast enough, trust me, I know. Your problems will always catch up to you. The best you can do is take over a king and tell this boy, whoever he is, that he just hit the jackpot."  
Billy smirked at the thought of speaking to Teddy in such a manner and blushed thinking of what his response may be. He knew deep down that his uncle was correct. The only way to fix the tyrannical rule that his grandfather had put into place was to succeed him and take his rightful place upon the thrown. Then he would free the humans and finally implement a fair and equal society.  
"And if you ever need to talk about how it works when you..."  
"Pietro!"  
"I have a lot of experience and let me tell you it's amaz..."  
"Aaaaaaaahhhhh no no no no. I'm done here."  
Billy turned quickly with a grimacing look on his face and began to walk out of the cell.  
"Kid where are you going? We barely talked!"  
"I know. I'll be back. I just need to tell someone something very very important. I promise uncle, I'll never leave you here to rot. I'll fix this. Every last thing in this screwed up universe."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Tommy drifted slowly through the palaces rose gardens letting his feet drag haphazardly as he gazed into the deep red gleam of the pedals, each staining his silver eyes with their Crimson reflection. Tommy could not remember a time that he had ever gone this slow, ever let himself soak up the garden in its full beauty.  
As children, Magnus had always taken the twins to the gardens, touring the grounds as he droned on with his daily kingly speech that was meant to inspire the boys to become something more. to become true rulers. Billy had always listened attentively, eager to please their abusive oppressor. He never ceased to yearn for the man's attention. Tommy had always seen the faults in his brother. Billy's problem was not that he was weak or cold or a martyr. His problem was that he loved. Loved so much in a world that had screwed both of them to the wall. Billy never gave up hope that things could get better, that he could save everyone.  
Tommy had never abandoned these ideals. He had never possessed them to begin with. During Magnus's countless speeches and failed attempts at inspiration for the two, Tommy had sunken away, burying himself in a world of his own making, a world where he could never be hurt, where no one would ever expect anything from him. He thought that by doing this, he was protecting himself, that by sinking away from his family, his training, his responsibility, that he was somehow making it where he could never be harmed. When faced with an uncomfortable situation he always did the same thing, the thing he was best at, Tommy ran.  
Doing all of this was to ensure his survival. To make sure he spent every day of his life in happiness and euphoria. So why now did he feel more hurt then he ever had? Maybe after all of those years of running, of trying to life in this false construct, Tommy finally got tired. His feet finally couldn't take him any farther. He had exhausted his last bit of energy. He had given up on his dream. He finally let the world he had avoided for so long catch up with him. A world where he was alone, not even his twin brother there to hold him in his arms and coddle him, to tell him this would all be alright someday.  
Now all Tommy had was status. Prince of nothing. Tommy stood, regretting every choice he had ever made. Every time he had left Billy to suffer, every time he had tuned out his grandfather, every time he had denied his mothers love. Even now as Tommy stared deeply into the red glimmer produced by the dew on the pedals, he could not recount a single word Magnus had proclaimed to them. Not one lesson or even a misplaced syllable of his king's words. He felt ashamed. Not only for all the times he had let his family down but for his childish behavior. He had wasted so much time hiding, so much time running, that he had forgotten the only person that he ever cared about, the only person that had ever paid him any attention. Billy had protected him his entire life, literally throwing himself in front of bullets to save Tommy and he repaid that unwavering love with... With words of anger and hostility.  
Tommy took the blossomed rose in his hands. The untrimmed thorns pricked into the illegitimate princes hand and ligaments, tearing his flesh, soaking the pure green stem with Crimson drops of iron enriched blood. The thorns stung but Tommy did not pay them any mind. It was a small price to pay for all of punishment and pain he had slipped through over the years. Besides, in some sick, depraved way Tommy took solace in the feeling. He felt as if through this pain he had ties to his brother who had suffered so much to protect him. Tommy ripped the Rose out, stem and all, clutching it tightly in his fist. The thorns dug into his palm causing blood to pour out of every possible crevice, engulfing t

Tommy's hand in bright red streams. Slowly the boy unclenched his hand, letting the fauna, now limp and squished, fall to the cobblestone ground of the garden. The Rose landed in the center of a few drops of Tommy's blood that had been let out by the display. He found it fitting and symbolic in a way. Billy had always been the one to endure Magnus's wrath and the pain of disobedience for Tommy but in the end, Tommy was the one left beaten and broken.  
Prince Dorrek stood in the corner of the imperial garden, leaning on a pillar behind Tommy undetected. After the young princes irrational display back in Williams quarters, Dorrek thought to follow the boy in fear that he may do something he would regret. The alien prince had observed the mutant for some time now. His behavior was odd and something that the price had not yet observed out of him. He was in pain. Not only pain but regret. He could almost feel it radiating off of Tommy. Negative energy surrounded the boy, it always had, but never had it been so present. It was only when Dorrek witnessed the self harm that he thought to step in on the boys solitude before something even more dangerous were to arise.  
"Does it make you happy? To simulate your own pain like that? As if inflicting it on yourself will dissolve that which you have inflicted on others." Dorrek stated, coming to the light behind Tommy. The boy did not turn to face his company as a mature prince would. Rather he kept his back to the visitor, closed off to his input. In every kingdom Dorrek had visited this was a sign of rudeness and would never be exhibited by true royalty, by disciplined princes such as he and William. Tommy may have been a prince on title but he lacked the basic communication skills it took to rule. He world never be ruler of this kingdom his grandfather had built. Deep down they all knew and always had known. Billy was destined for the throne and the only thing hold him from it was his virginity and Magnus's livelihood, which wavered with each passing day.  
Dorrek wondered if it frightened the boy that he would never rule, that this kingdom would never truly be his. Dorrek had never once worried about loosing his kingdom. He was a chosen prince of the cosmos. His birth had brought peace to the Galaxy. Two kingdoms had been promised to his service that day and a third once he was to marry. He never lived a life of one of those promises being able to be taken away. It was his life. But Tommy and Billy were equal at birth. Both mutant, both twins, both sons of the princess. One would believe that they would constantly be at each other's throats for the throne. But they were not. It was as if Billy had always been destined for the throne and Tommy was destined to be nothing. A life without purpose was frightening Dorrek supposed. It was a life without responsibility and adventure. It was a life of laziness. One he would never willingly be forced into.  
"What do you want," Tommy growled through gritted teeth. Another sign of hostility and disrespect. If Thomas had not been the brother of Dorreks self chosen mate, he would have taught the boy respect. But that was out of the question if he was to win Billy over. No, if he were to do that he would have to take a much more stern but gentle approach.  
"What do I want?" The prince retorted. "I want you to grow up. I want you to straighten up and take that stupid garment off. It's unfitting of royalty. If a prince is to be taken seriously he must dress for the occasion. You are dressed for battle or a very interesting mating ritual. Neither of which this is. Second I want you to go and apologize to William. Your words upset him... Dearly."  
"What are you? His boyfriend? Oh wait I forgot, you are."  
"As much as William would protest... I believe that he and I are destined for each other. We are... Attracted to each other and both of royal descent. We both have something interesting that I would like to explore. Something that I think he, if it were not for your judging words of cruelty, would also like to explore."  
"Don't blame me because you got cock blocked dude. I seriously put the guy in bed with you. If that doesn't work i don't know what will. Not my problem."  
Dorreks teeth gritted together in anger. Not only had Tommy once again intentionally disrespected his title with his borderline illiterate use of words but he insulted the aliens to be mate. That was something he could not take. His arm extending to inhuman lengths, Dorrek grabbed the boy firmly by the neck, pulling him back and turning him to face him. Dorrek then grabbed onto the boy's emerald colored spandex suit with both hands and with one foul yank, torn the suit to shreds, leaving Tommy in his briefs.  
For Twins the boys were so... Different when it came to their body. Billy's chest was covered with thick brown hair and had no abstractions in his skin. No blemishes. To Dorrek, every crevice of William Maximoff was perfect. Tommy's body was much different. It was completely devoid of hair. Teddy could not discern whether this was due to genetics or if the boy had shaved it in some immature fashion. Another more prominent feature about Tommy's body stood out to the alien. His arms were covered in artwork. Vibrant colors gleamed off of the boys skin each taking shape in some grand design.  
Dorrek had expected the boy to dissolve as he had when threatened by his brother about the suit but Tommy did nothing. His cheeks reddened slightly but other than that he stood tall and firm, fighting back the urge to throw a tantrum.  
After a moment of intense eye contact, Tommy let out a huff, his gazed wavering slightly as to not look the prince directly in the eyes.  
"What can I say teddy? You're right. I'm an awful brother. Always have been. I'm no prince. No royalty. I can't even fight. All I do is run. All I do is defend, avoid, maneuver. I don't fight like Billy. I don't rule like Billy. I don't love like Billy. I'm not a king like Billy is meant to be. I've known this since the first day Billy saved me from grandfather's wrath. I knew this every time Billy let me win in training so that I would not have to endure torture and I didn't care. I let it happen cause I believed it was ok as long as it wasn't me. I'm sick and now I've hurt him. You don't think I know you two are meant to be? I could see it in the way he looked at you. He's never looked at someone with that much admiration, that much embarrassment. He cares what you think. He cares about you. I got jealous... If you two... If you two consecrate a marriage then by our law... He's going to rule and you along with him. I got jealous, scared. Once that happens there is no me. No more reason for me to even be here. I'm just a prince of nothing. No purpose. He'd leave and be enthralled with you and I'd have no one... I'm so so sorry." Tears began to fall from the boy's eyes as he cringed, his masculinity desperately struggling to hold them back. Dorrek took his hand under the boys chin and lifted it to look him once again in the eye.  
"That admission... It was what a king would do. There is hope for you yet Thomas."  
"Ya well..." Tommy said whipping away his tears with a sniffle. "... Don't expect an encore for his majesty."  
"Oh I don't need one," a voice rank out from behind. Dorrek looked up and Tommy back to see where the voice had originated. There stepping towards them was Billy with a smirk of pleasure on his face. Immediately Tommy sank in embarrassment. His pride would have never willingly let him profess his wrong doings to his brother. Even now he felt faint and light headed but he knew it was all for the best.  
The twins met in an embrace, holding each other tightly. "I'm sorry too. To both of you," Billy continued as his grasped his brother tightly in his arms.  
"My prince there is no reason to Apollo..."  
"No teddy there is. I've been letting my responsibilities go for too long. It's time I make things right with the kingdom, with the family... With us."  
"Well what do you propose we do?"  
"Well..." Billy said with a raised eyebrow. "Anyone up for that rave we were promised?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Billy had never felt comfortable out of his royal attire. Dressing as he did on his grandfathers many "vacations" always made his stomach turn. He felt like he looked stupid or common. He did not want to be common. He did not want to be like everyone. Being raised as a prince had taught Billy to value who he was, to respect himself. Maybe that's why teddy was so easy to except. Granted, at first he had been scared and ashamed but he had gotten over his fear of the relationship admittedly quick. After all, if he was ever going to be able to take control of the kingdom, pardon his uncle and set equal rights for the humans, he would have to marry... There's no reason to be miserable in a marriage built on lies.

Ever since the two had met the morning prior, Billy had felt a connection to the young foreign noble. A soon as he set eyes on the alien, he had felt... Whole. As if all of the suffering he had endured, all the training and misery, all the heart break, all the loneliness, as if all of it was worth it to be worthy of Dorrek's favor.

Even now as the four walked down a dismal New York City alley, Billy could not help but steal prolonged glances of the prince. He wished nothing more then to hold... To be held in his firm grasp, as he had been that morning. When Billy's eyes were not fixated on the side of the young mans face, they were focused on his hands. Large and strong, lined with ruff calluses that no shape shifting trickery could create. They were born of hard work, of battle, of noble deeds, which Billy yearned to hear able. He wished nothing more then to have the initiative to grab onto Dorreks hand. But there would be time for all of that later. Time to tell the prince of his feelings, his intentions.

During Billy's state of trance, Tommy had been rapidly firing off his opinion of the event the four were about to attend. Tommy always had a tendency to talk a little fast then comprehensible when he was excited. Even teddy and Kate who tried desperately to pay attention to the boys ramblings could only make out every fourth word.

From what Kate could make out: The host of this rave was a mysterious Hispanic who no one knew much about. The woman went by the name miss America and never made an open appearance at her social gatherings but rather watched from a distance. Tommy then seemed to claim to have seen her but Kate dismissed this as a white lie used to make the prince look more interesting then he was.

Teddy, who was much less use to Tommy's super speed, could only tell that they were going to a party hosted in America... Or maybe it was by. Teddy did not very much care. He just smiled at the boy's enthusiasm as they walked. The entire time he had felt an uneasy feeling. He could feel Billy's gaze piercing the side of his face with a certain intensity. Teddy tried desperately to act as if he did not notice, looking towards Tommy as he spoke, the entire time wondering what Billy was thinking. Wondering if Billy hated him, if had misconstrued the boy's altercation in the courtyard. He wondered if Billy had thought that Teddy's tearing Tommy's clothing off was overboard and maybe it was but that the time it seemed the appropriate thing to do But now teddy worried, worried that had ruined whatever he and Billy could have had.

Teddy turned his head slightly to look down at Billy who, upon the hulks gaze, shied away, hiding his face and trying to make it look as if he had not been eyeing the man. Teddy opened his mouth to speak but was cut off but a high pitched squeal. Billy, teddy and Kate all cringed in unison as Tommy jetted forward to the corner of the alley, stopping just beyond it, jumping up and down as neon lights illuminated his side.

"Here! We're here! Ohmygodicantwaittopartyliketheresnofuckingtorrow!"

With that the boy ran forward, basking in the rampant changing lights and deafening music. Billy stopped in his tracks, looking down to the ground, his body practically shaking. He grabbed Teddy's hand and held it tightly in his own, causing the hybrid to stop in his tracks, turning back to the boy questioningly. He could feel the tremor in Billy's body as he shook in fear. Teddy's heart began to pound at this realization. Something had to be terribly wrong.

After a moment of walking onward by herself, Kate turned back confused as to why the two had stopped. "You guys coming?" She asked trying to look around teddy to get a view of Billy, to see if he was ok. "Just... We'll meet up in a bit," Billy responded, his voice as shaky as his body. Kate wanted to stay, to make sure that the prince was well, to ensure his safety. But against her better wishes, she left, joining Tommy in his failed attempt of dancing.

Teddy's eyes never left the top of Billy's head as the two conversed before him. His mind rattled with the question of what was wrong, of what he had done. He once again opened his mouth to speak, to apologize for what he had done to Tommy, when Billy once again cut him off.

"I'm gay." He spat out quick and decisively as if it were an awful taste in his mouth. Teddy could tell this was hard for Billy. He wanted to coddle the boy, to tell him that it was ok. But he thought it better to let Billy speak on his feelings, to let him act on them on his own accord.

"I'm gay and I know that because... Ted... Prince Dorrek, you came into my life yesterday as a visitor of the royal palace. You came to observe and to learn, to explore. Upon setting my eyes on you... I never wanted to take them away. You are one of... You are without a doubt the most beautiful creature on the planet. I know that we haven't known each other for a long time but as soon as you stepped into my life, I felt something I had never once felt before. I felt whole. I don't know much about love but I think that's it. I think I love you and if that makes me gay... Then I'm happily gay. So long as I don't have to spend another day without you."

Teddy smirked, the tension relieving from his body. He couldn't help but blush at the words that had come from Billy's mouth. He too felt the same towards Billy as Billy had felt towards him. Teddy gently took both of Billy's hands in his and stepped closer to the prince so that the twos foreheads rested on one another's.

"You are not gay... You are my prince and I don't ever want to loose you. William... I came here for you... For an arranged marriage granted that you and I were both forth coming. From the stories I heard of you... Of you're training, your heroism, your heart... I knew before I met you that you were the one for me. On my planet we have a tradition that the alpha of the relationship... They..." Teddy walked closer to Billy, pushing him up against the alley wall. The cool bricks stung the princes skin but he did not mind in the least. His face was flushed red as his heart pounded inside of his chest. He felt as if he were about to be sick. Butterflies fluttered in the princes stomach as Teddy's lips came closer to his, stopping inches away. "They ask their mate to be with them... Forever... In a bond that can never be broken. Marry me Billy and together we can rule three empires. We can bring peace to the cosmos. We can be together."

Billy took a deep breathe in as his body stiffened. He had planned no different for the two but was shocked... Fearful now that it had become a reality. What if this wasn't right? What if this was a mistake? Or what if the mistake was never taking the chance in the first place.

"Yes." Billy said softly, almost undetectable over the bass of the rave just beyond the alley in which they now resided. "Yes. I'll be your..." Billy was cut short by teddy who placed his finances lips, sealing the promise. Billy's eyes widened at first in shock as the prince held him tightly, their lips pressed together as firmly as their bodies. Billy had never been kissed before. It felt odd... But somehow right... Natural. Billy's eyes slowly came to a close as his body began to melt in his finances arms, letting his guard down, abandoning all his training, all of his conditioning, letting all of his memories flow away as he began to kiss back, taking in the boys thick musky smell. In this moment Billy was not the prince of the House of M. He was not next in line to be king. He was not a mutant nor gay nor anything label that had ever been placed on him by others. For the first time in forever he was Billy Maximoff and he was happy.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Marriage. It had always seemed like such an odd concept to Billy. Two people living together in holy matrimony for the rest of their lives. Living forever in peace and happiness. What a paradox that was. Life and peace in the same sentence. In fact up to this point all Billy's life had been was structured chaos with moments, scenes, of happiness. Just enough for him to keep going but never enough to live with. Magnus had always wanted it that way. The king did not want to waist his riches on both of his grandchildren. He had believed that if he were to let Billy be happy that it would have inspired weakness in the boy, that his perfect successor would have been lost.

Happiness had never known the prince. Until now he had hardly known even the base of emotional feelings. Billy had never truly known love for another, or at least not in this way. He had loves Kate and Tommy but this was different. With teddy he felt so vulnerable but he didn't wish to defend himself. He trusted teddy to never hurt him, to never betray him.

For Kate or Tommy he would lay down his life easily. Billy would have done this act for even the most foul and wretched of beings. But teddy would be the first to refuse the service. The first to lay down his life before Billy could stagger. Teddy had been the first to save him.

Billy sighed as dozens of handmaidens swarmed around him, dressing him as if he were two years old once again. Each had their own task. Some fluffing out the wrinkles in the boys suit, others running combs through his hair and brushes across his face, covering up each and every one of his imperfections. A prince had no blemishes, no scars, he carried no pain. A prince was to be a god and therefore he was to lack the imperfections of the rest of his race. Especially on a day as holy as this was soon to be.

Behind Billy sat his mother, Wanda Maximoff. She sat silently in her crimson red gown as the women worked away on the princes appearance. She had never seen a suit so porcelain white in all of her years. It was as pure as newly fallen snow to the ground, as pure as her untainted son. He had always been a king. Even without Magnus's torturous training she had always felt the boys power. Maybe it had been because she created him that way. Maybe in the back of her mind she had these attributes in mind during his conception. That he would have his uncles heroic nature, his mothers beauty, his sisters creativity and his grandfathers leadership. He was the best of each of them all rolled up into that little package. Wanda had always loved both of her boys. She had always admired Tommy's attributes, his carelessness, and his free spirit. In many ways Tommy was everything that she never was and Billy everything she could have been.

"He's perfect. He's ready. Be gone with you all. Let me speak to my son." Wanda spoke firmly, standing from her seat. Billy had never found an excess amount of fear for his mother in his heart. He had, even with their estranged nature, had great love and admiration for the woman but never fear. The handmaidens had other opinions. Each rushed out faster then the other, wishing not to encore the wrath of the scarlet witch.

Billy swiveled around with a blush on his cheeks as he looked to the ground. Just a day ago he had been concealing who he was, hiding from the woman that gave him life and now he was to be married within the hour to another man. He felt ashamed of his trepidation towards the princess and did not possess the knowledge of how to possibly make it better.

She on the other hand did not seem to mind the young mans lie or his sexual orientation. Rather, the woman stood in shock and aw at her son's handsome physique. Throughout the boy's life, his mother had seen him in a suit on many occasions but this felt difference. Maybe it was the white texture that gave Wanda chills up and down her spine or maybe it wasn't the suit at all. Maybe it was her pride. Her pride in everything Billy had ever done or will do. Tears began to form in the woman's eyes and she places her hands gently over her mouth as she collapsed pack down onto the cushioned chair she had once sat upon.

"Oh William... I am so sorry. I promised myself I wouldn't do this. It's just... It's all so perfect. It's all just as I had dream." She cried out as tears of joy streamed down her face.

Billy smiled softly as he walked over to his mother, pulling up a seat next to her and placing his hand on her lap. "Mom, don't cry. Cause if you cry then I'm gone cry and I don't know what they put on my face but I bet it doesn't mix well with tears."

Wanda smiled and let out a small chuckle as she looked up into Billy's eyes. They had always been so unique, changing in every situation. Some days they had been the most beautiful brown, others they shone as deep a blue as the ocean on a desert island, never touched by man. The color may change but the compassion in them never faded. Always caring about everyone else before himself. She let out a small sigh after a moment of silence and placed her hand back down on his reassuringly. "I'm just very very proud of you."

"I lied."

"You protected yourself. You were afraid and confused. It wasn't right of anyone to assume who you were. It was our pardon never yours. Just... Make sure prince Dorrek knows what a catch you are. That you are so much more then a pretty face. You're a ruler Billy. Through and through. In every universe you'll be more powerful then anyone can possibly imagine."

"I don't need every universe. 'We live in the best of all possible realities' mother."

"That we do."

The two smiled at the reference, remembering reading the Candide together. It had been one of the first great classics that the two had picked up and the quote had never been lost on either of them. Billy would never know that during the reading his mother had changed the word 'worlds' to 'realities' while reading it to him. She had felt that the word was appropriate for the house of m and all it was built on. It was always an allusion to the witch's secret digression. One that none would ever pick up on.

The twos deep silence was broken as the door to Billy's dressing room flung open. There stood Magnus in his normal powerful stance, no expression gracing his stern visage. "Wanda, would you give the boy and I the room?" He questioned. Although the man's question had seemed like a request, both Wanda and Billy knew that it was not. Magnus never have choices, he never have time for error or disobedience. He was king and was to be understood.

A his command, wand got up silently, shooting her son a final soft smile of good fortune and then hurried off past her father to the grand hall.

Once the woman had left, Magnus used his manipulation of magnetism to shut the door behind and then proceeded to walk back over to Billy. He silent placed a firm hand on the boys shoulder and squeezed it tightly. Billy wanted to wince at the pain but knew the action would be unwise. Weakness was never to be displayed before the king. Billy was the prince of the mutants, he was superior in every aspect of the word and weakness would go against that assumption and inspire a revolution. Billy stood tall, back straight just as his grand father had taught him, looking deep into the man's eyes, not challengingly but like a solider awaiting orders.

"I am satisfied boy. Maybe you're not as incompetent as I once believed. There is hope for you yet."

"Thank you my lord," Billy replied coldly, like a machine. No conjecture could be detected in his voice. Magnus removed his had, done with his praising of Billy and back to business.

"After the ceremony you will undress here and walk back to your chambers to consecrate the marriage. Once that is done, captain Marvell will leave the boy here to rule along side you. Upon my death you will be granted the crown and upon Marvell's death, Dorrek will be the ruler of two different empires. A pact has been drawn up that with this marriage, our three nations will be united as one. After today your training with me will cease. I have taught you everything you need to rule my boy. I only hope that you are up for the duty."

"I am my lord."

"Are you? William there are tuff choices to be made as a king. Are you truly willing to kill a man if he stands in your way? Are you capable of leading a war for resources or against human insurgence? Are you ready to do what is right for your people?"

"Yes my lord. I shall carry out your wishes. I serve you." Billy droned without hesitation. He had been not only taught how to be a ruler but a solider to Magnus's decrees. He may have not agreed with his grand father but he was nonetheless loyal to the man. With that Magnus nodded and dismissed the boy to the ceremony.

The whole ordeal was quick in time but seemed to Billy as the most time consuming task he had ever undergone. Each second felt like hours on end. He would have dissolved if not for Dorrek, standing there as true and compassionate as ever. He was Billy's rock, his stability. As long as there hands touched, William would never know fear.

The two exchanged their vows quickly and were dismissed to different halls, as was the custom. They were to now go to the back and strip down fully and walk back to consecrate the marriage. Princes held no after party, no fun, no reception. Each act they were forced to commit was strictly business.

Billy walked down the hallways of the castle in his hairy nude form. Not many had passed him on the way back to his quarters. He had only seen a few handmaids who seemed not shocked by the boy's current state of undress. Many of them had cared for him since he was a child and were no strangers to his or Tommy's body's.

Just as Billy turned the corner to the hall his bedroom lay in, he bumped into a man, also rounding the corner. A chill ran down the boy's spine as he then realized who the man had been. There before him stood Daken, fully dressed in his royal guard attire, eyeing his member like a feast he would savor and devour with force. He smirked, licking his lips as his eyes moved up to Billy's who looked back at the guard, annoyed.

"Heh kid you're pretty hairy aren't ya? I'm gonna enjoy shaving you clean."

Billy rolled his eyes at Daken's disgusting attempt at flirting. It felt demeaning to the prince to be talked about in such a way. The boys blood boiled at the sight of him, whether out of fear or anger he had no clue.

"Didn't you hear? I'm married so back off."

"Hm we'll see about that. Trust me Maximoff, I'm going to have you and when I do, you're going to forget that ogre. You'll be too busy screaming my name."

"As if I'd ever call out for you in pleasure."

"Pleasure? Maximoff I'm going to cut you until I feel bone. I'm going to make you wish you had accepted me all of these years. Once teddy boy is gone, you're mine to do what I please with. Gotta keep that hairy ass in line. Don't want you thinking your king yet."

Billy pushed past the man, letting his words go in one ear and out the other. Dakens immature threats were just that and he was too much of a coward to ever follow through on anything he was to say. It was important for him to just let the beasts words roll off his shoulder. They were fabrications of his own insanity after all. Once the marriage was consecrated Daken would no longer be a blight on Billy's existence. With that, Billy thrusted open the doors to his quarters, ready to finish his suffering once and for all.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Upon Billy's entrance to his quarters, he was met with the gaze of his newly wedded husband who lay comfortably in the bed awaiting Billy's arrival. A sheet lay draped halfway over his naked body, covering his more desirable assets. It had seemed that the boy had been in waiting for a while, bored beyond belief but when Billy came in, his eyes brightened and his body shot up, sitting straighter then before.

Neither said a word as silence filled the room. Both felt it was in order. Billy himself had never dreamed of being even this intimate with another being. Where Dorrek had been trained for this encounter, Billy had no clue. He knew the basics of reproduction, of sex, but there was so much he did not know. So many things Magnus had kept him in the dark about. Billy had never been taught how to enjoy himself, how to ask if the other was ok, how to care. In these moments he worried of hurting the prince. He feared of his reality warping powers activating during the experience and growing out of control. He worried that this had all been a mistake. He hardly knew his husband and married him in just three days of his company.

What if the reason Billy had married Dorrek was not because of his love for the man? What if it wasn't for his beauty or power or intelligence? What if, deep down, Billy had only married the alien to please his grandfather? A chill ran down the boys spine as he bit his lip, pondering over the subject. Of course his grandfathers approval had excited him but he had to believe that this was a decision of his own choosing. That he married teddy for all of those reasons. That he married the prince for a shot at happiness and so the two could rule together side by side... Forever.

"You're beautiful," teddy finally blurted out, no longer able to take the silence. His shaggy blonde hair almost hung down over his newly crystal blue eyes as he sat in his human form, admiring his husband with a dazed look on his face.

Curious it was to Billy why teddy had insisted on maintaining his Aryan form in a world such as this. In a world full of mutants and inhumans, a world where there was no set look or style. Why in a world such as this did teddy insist on looking like a human? Why did he constantly change is completion, his eyes, everything about him? It clearly was not for the purpose of blending in.

Billy took in a deep breath as he drifted slowly to the bed. "T-thanks... You do too."

"Is everything ok?" Teddy questioned at the upward inflection in the boys voice. His golden eyebrow rose, punctuating the question and affirming his inquisitive nature. Billy shuttered slightly at the question to which he himself knew not the answer. The boy took up residence on the edge of the bed, his eyes trying to avoid direct contact with the alien's body.

"Confused I assume... But ok I think."

Teddy got up, letting the satin sheets roll off his slender built physique. Slowly, the alien prince scooted up behind his husband until he sat upon his knees behind the boy. Even in this state he towered over Billy with no effort whatsoever. Gently, teddy placed both hands on the boy's shoulders, stroking them smoothly as his nose collided with the back of Billy's head. The scent of Billy's conditioner. Strange, teddy had always pictured the boys hair to smell of lavender as the rest of his room had but it's scent was so much more... Brilliant then that. Teddy couldn't quite place the smell, as he had never encountered something so pure before. In all of his travels, the prince had never dreamed of such a fragrance. It seemed so suited to the boy. It was soft and sweet just as he had been. Teddy felt himself melt for a moment as he inhaled. Upon exhaling, the prince had come somewhat back to consciousness, remembering Billy's peculiar remark.

"Confused?... You do not wish to have sex?"

"I do. It's just..."

"You do not."

"No. Let me speak. I want to have sex. We have to..."

"We do not have to do anything..."

"That's not what I meant... I... I..." Billy's eyes began to glow a bright blue as his lungs contracted. The things prince began to feel as if he were suffocating under the weight, under the stress, under the conflicted thoughts. He needed to figure this all out but he could not during Teddy's constant questions. It was near to impossible to discern what he needed to... What he wanted to do. He could no longer tell the difference between responsibility and pleasure.

"Stop it. Stop it! STOP IT!" Billy cried out as a large burst of blue energy escaped his body, illuminating the room for brief seconds before dissipating with its contact on the walls of Billy's room.

Teddy immediately ceased his massage of Billy's back, retracting his arms by his naked side and sitting as still as a statue. The prince could barely blink after Billy's outburst. All he could do was sit and await his release from the prison of Billy's making for him.

"I... I'm sorry I..." Billy began, trying desperately to catch his breath. Slowly he looked back at his husband who sat there with his back as straight as any trained soldiers should be, not daring to move an inch. He was trapped in this state, unable to utter the simplest of words or move the smallest of ligaments without his husband's permissions. Even through all of this he sat unaffected, unafraid. That same trusting glimmer in his eyes that had been there since the moment the two had met.

"At ease," Billy commanded, a blue spark shooting from the boys finger tips into his betroths brain. Immediately, Teddy's body relaxes, the large boy drawing in a gasp of air to his deprived lungs.

"Teddy that's why I'm confused... Why I'm afraid. What if all of this is a dream of my own concoction? For all we know... You aren't even real... None of this could be real. It could all just be the warped imagination of boy running wild. I change reality teddy... It's what I do."

Teddy did not hesitate to take his husbands cheek into his hands, stroking their fair rosy texture softly as not to stain their perfection.

"I do not care if I am not real. I do not care if you have altered the universe a thousand times over. I do not need to know that the very sheets we lay on are real to know that the love we share is. Give me the chance in a thousand realities... In all of the realities... I will always choose you my prince. That is how I know I want this. This is how I know I want you."

"What if I hurt you?"

"Break me and it will be my honor."

Billy shivered as he stared back into his companion's hopeful eyes. After a moment his jitters subsided. It was silly to be afraid in such an instance. Dorrek was incapable of hurting Billy and Billy incapable of hurting him. Billy placed his hands on Dorrek's bare chest, pushing the young ruler down to the bed and fixing himself onto of his lovers body, leaving down to be embraced in the princes large broad grasp. Before their lips could touch, Billy stopped himself. This didn't feel right. If he were to be with Dorrek he was going to be with Dorrek... The real Dorrek.

"Change back." He ordered, not using his powers to manipulate the boy.

"What?"

"You're beautiful Ted... But I want the real you. Not this supermodel body you've assumed."

"I am... Much larger in my true form. It will hurt."

"I just... Just do it. Please."

Dorrek sighed softly, closing his eyes as his body began to grow. His once pale skin covered itself in green scales as his muscles and shoulders became more defined. His once blonde hair was now a deep green. Pointed ears stuck out of its loose texture. Finally teddy opened his eyes, showing their true beauty once and for all. Iris as pure a green as the forests Tommy and Pietro would race together in. The same forests Billy would journey through with his mother, learning each inch of. This was the place he was taught to explore, to journey, here he learned that life came in all shapes and forms. There his training had begun and today it had finally ended. Ended with the most amazing man in the entire universe and that's all Billy could have ever asked for.

The two princes lay exhausted in each other's arms. Sweat glistened off both of their foreheads as they panted loudly, about ready to pass out. They were now truly married.

Funny, Billy had always pictured the moment so much more... Proper? No that was not the word. He had always expected his first time to be just as his life had been. Structured and completely business. He had never dreamed of falling in love, never dreams on being happy, never dreamed of being king. But now as it all lay before him on a silver platter, begging him to take it, he could hardly help but relish in the new reality he and teddy had created together.

He curled his neck back, peering up at the aliens chiseled chin. What an odd skrull like texture it possessed with its ridges. The young prince reached up, running his fingers over the small vertical lines with curiosity. What purpose could such an adaptation ever possess?

Teddy smiled, looked down at his husband, breaking the boys contact with his chin. The two sat, both with large grins on each other's faces. During the exchange of looks, the hybrid assumed his human form once again. His green faced became flushed and pale as well as his hair and eyes. Before long the transformation had been complete and Dorrek had once again put himself into an unnecessary state of hiding.

Billy's eyes narrowed at the action and he pulled back from the being slightly, observing him in this form. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what, my love?"

"Change. Lord knows I don't mind how you look. I love your true form. Why do you feel you must hide it?"

"Hide it? No my... Billy you got it all wrong." Teddy chuckled, sitting up in the bed and leaning against the cool wooden headboard. "I love who I am. I would never hide such a thing. It's... I am also this form. When I'm around someone long enough, I begin to see traits in him or her that I myself desire. Being with captain marvel for so long I suppose that the skull part of me has gone into remission but I would never hide it on purpose... Just... Adjust it I suppose. Are you alright?" Teddy questioned changing the subject. "I realize that first times can hurt... Especially for you species."

"Hurt?" Billy blushed slightly. "Maybe slightly but I am use to pain... After the pain it was um... Dude I gotta ask: what's up with your..."

"My reproductive system is meant to emit a natural lubricant and is rigid for pleasure if that's what you are referring to."

"Ya that... That was something."

"Something good?"

"Very."

The two grinned once again staring deeply into each other's eyes. Out of the corner of his eyes, Billy could see a glimmer and he looked down to Teddy's once bare chest where hair had spontaneously taken root. Billy raised his eyebrow to the alien questioningly.

"What? I told you I liked it."

"You're such a dork," Billy snorted.

"A dork that can grow facial hair at a rate faster then a mutant."

"Are... Are you challenging my masculinity in a nerdy scientific way?"

"No..." Teddy stated as a golden, well-groomed beard grew on his face. "It is simply a fact."

The young alien smiled exuberantly in victory over his companion, expecting a kiss for his success but was instead met with the smack of a pillow to his face.

"I'm a sore loser."

"No way for a king to be," teddy scowled playfully.

"Not a king yet teddy bear." Billy wrapped his arms around the alien's large torso, his head taking rest on the hairy peck of his lover as he squeezed tightly. "Just a prince in wedding bliss."

"And you thought you could hurt me," teddy remarked, placing his arm around Billy. Both of them knew that as long as they were together, no harm would come to either of them. They were one. Neither could live without the other, neither could function. Their lives were intertwined, as it should be.

In the following moments, Billy felt nothing but utter happiness and bliss. There was no kingdom to look after, no one to please; there was just love and fun. He was at peace as teddy ran his strong firm hands through his silky brown hair.

"Teddy I... I lo..."

Billy's phrase had been interrupted by a knock at the door. The twos attention quickly turned to the noise, both questioning who it could have possibly been. The entire palace had known of the prince's duties and what they were not to be disturbed for the rest of the day. No Billy's mind, the interloper had to be none other then Tommy, who cared boy for anyone's plans but his own. Billy's rolled his eyes at the thought of his twin brother ruining this moment for him with his excessive annoyances and fast-talking.

"Get lost tom!" Billy yelled through the door, in hopes that the knocker would retreat and leave the two be.

Almost immediately, the door swung open and into the room stepped Daken, followed by palace guards equipped with large guns, pointed at the two princes. Billy scowled at the sight.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Billy demanded, sitting up in the bed next to Teddy who lay against the head board confused and shocked.

"Told ya it would last long kid. I'm guessing you two did the deed? Of course you can. I could smell the sweat and shame from the city. Not that it matters anyhow. They marriage is final. Boy..." Daken twitched his fingers to the guards behind them, signaling them to fire their weapons. Instantly, both were fired, spewing two large projectiles to the necks of the boys. The projectiles clamped around their necks before either had the chance to evade.

Both struggled against the iron grip of the collars to no avail.

"B... Billy. I can't change my shape and my strength..." Teddy stammered out in confusion.

"Oh joy it does work. You see we were so worried that it would only work on the mutant gene but here we are. Magnus is gonna be so happy."

"Magnus? My grandfather is behind this?!" Billy questioned in outrage.

"Right again kiddo and he'll be pissed if we're late for the show so up and attem. Or are we going to have to make you?"

On that note, the two guards flung out shock batons, each sparking with electricity. Billy's fists wound tightly, ready for battle. He would die before he let Daken command him in such a manor. Before Billy could spring into action, teddy placed his hand over Billy's fist, reassuringly. With him powers, the fight would be no problem but now, the troops had the upper hand. The two would be slaughtered. Billy gritted his teeth but relinquished his fighting stance to that of a surrendering solider. The two guards walked around to the back of the boys, never once letting their guards drop as they secured hand cuffs, tightly binding the boys hands behind their backs. When they were finished, both stuck the tip of their batons into the spines of their respective princes, causing a whale of pain out of both the rulers.

Daken led the group down the desolate place halls. Not a soul would dare wander them this late and those who did were no doubt already in on the Kings sick plan and would do nothing to help the boys. Billy thought of screaming out for help. For his mother or Tommy or even Kate but it would not have done much good. Tommy had been seen leaving the wedding with Kate, both no doubt not returning until the morrow and Wanda's quarters were across the castle. There is no possible way that any attempt at calling for help would reach the mother in time.

This was never a viable option. Even if the three had been readily available, Billy would never call for their help. He had gone 19 years dealing with his grandfather and knew that he would see such an act as a sign of weakness. There was a reason for all of this and both Billy and teddy were ready to get to the bottom of it. Daken led the group to Magnus's private study. There the beast opened the large double doors, shoving Billy into the center of the room.

There teddy and Billy stopped side by side, each not daring to exchange any looks but stood tall and fixated on the figure in the chair before them. There, on his throne, Magnus sat, eyeing the two naked boys with a look of satisfaction as if he enjoyed their humiliation. Neither did him the honor of admitting their shame. Neither said a word.

"Don't you know you etiquette?" Fallen asked from behind the prince. Without warning, the dog grabbed Billy by the back of his hair and kicked the boy's legs in, forcing him to his knees. "You bow to your king," he whispered in Billy's ear.

Teddy let out a low growl at the mistreatment of his husband, wishing that he could rip the brute in half.

"Oh? You wanna say something, 2001?" Daken asked. He then kicked in Teddy's legs, forcing him to his knees as well. "Didn't think so."

Magnus waived his hand, signaling enough to his loyal servant. Daken nodded and waived his guards out of the room before assuming his rightful place by his master's side.

Billy had always regarded the man as an animal, letting his base instincts rule his life, but never once had he seen Daken so tamed. He went by every little signal his king gave him, never questioning orders. Some would pin this loyalty to that of a warrior. But warriors had honor and a soul. Daken was nothing more then a filthy animal. A dog, loyal to his master in hopes of receiving scraps off the dinner table. It almost made Billy sick.

A moment later, the two guards returned only this time with a third presence in tow. The guards threw the weak mans body down in front of the boys. He two adored the shackles and collar that the princes had become aquatinted with. It did not take long for the two to recognize the man as captain marvel, Billy's father.

Daken smirked at the worrying look on Teddy's face. As if to taught the boy, Daken grabbed Teddy's father by his long blonde hair, holding him up to face the boys. His was bloody and scared beyond recognition. The result of torture... Days of torture. Tears began to well in the alien princes eyes as his head dropped, too afraid to look into his fathers dying eyes any longer.

"What a turn of events," Magnus finally stated with a sinister smile. "You look confused William. Did you actually believe that I waned you to marry for happiness? Lord no. I am proud my boy, that part is true. I would have never been able to stomach having sex with such a disgusting half-breed such as Dorrek. I could barely stomach his father's narcissistic rants. But you... You preformed perfectly my boy, right down to the grittiest detail. I almost believed you loved him."

"I did."

"Did you? Or did you love him because I told you to? You have asked yourself that, yes? Even you couldn't have been so stupid to not see my true intentions. With these two out of the way, I will inherit two of the most influential empires in our galaxy. Our world will be open to new technology, new cultures, new trade. We will rule the cosmos you and I. And it's all because of you Billy."

"Teddy I..." Billy began turning to his husband who sat, staring at the ground.

"Don't. All is fair in love and war. You just played me better then I thought possible."

"I didn't..."

"Save it. Just... Let us go. My father and I we..."

"Oh now that's not going to happen," Magnus interrupted. "You what? Will run back and alert your empire sending us into a war with two advanced races? No thank you. No..." A dagger back to levitate by Magnus's side. It floated over in front of marvels neck, pointing its sharp tip directly at his jugular vein. "I have a better idea in mind." With a clench of his fist, the dagger impaled into the man's neck, spewing blood onto the two boys.

Teddy cringed as he watched his father fall to the floor as his blood pooled on the carpet before them.

"You... Monster!" Teddy cried out as tears began to rush down his flushed cheeks. "I'll kill you!"

"Hmm sadly you will not get the chance." The dagger once again lifted into the air and aimed itself at the young alien prince.

"Grandfather..." Billy began.

"Shut up you petulant child! You've outlived your usefulness."

Once again Magnus clenched his fist, sending the dagger hurling towards teddy. The boy flinched, his body stiffening up in anticipation of the impact. Before the dagger could reach Dorrek, Billy threw his body in front of Teddy's, the dagger colliding with the mutants shoulder as he fell to the floor.

Magnus scowled down at his grandson. "Nineteen years. Nineteen years I have trained you! And yet here you are, left to rot on the floor because of your own mistakes! I had thought you'd have grown out of this petty heroism by now. Clearly I was mistake," Magnus scolded. "Guards! Take the hybrid to my sons cell as for William..." Magnus turned to Daken. "He's all yours."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Billy walked slowly as Daken stood next to him, escorting him to his grandfathers requested destination. The night before had been... Unpleasant. After the murder of Teddy's father, Magnus had relinquished his 'ownership' of Billy to Daken, instructing the feral beast to do with Billy what he must. Billy cringed at the thought of the acts Daken had committed him to do through the night. A devil worse then the one Billy had come to know, Daken tortured the boy all night, beginning with humiliation and ending in physical pain. As Daken had promised the day before, his first act was to shave Billy's entire body. The only follicles that had survived the cleanse where the hairy atop his head.

Magnus must have instructed Daken to not harm the boy's visible features. His head, hands, legs all remained unscaved in fear of others discerning what had happened. The boy's chest however, once strewn with hair was now stained with scars and wounds form the mutant's claws, marking his territory no doubt.

Daken had beaten Billy, humiliated him, emasculated him but never once violated him. Daken had made a point of this early in the night. If he was to be with Billy it would be of the boys own wishes. The monster made certain that such an act would not cease his treatment of Billy. He quite enjoyed his little plaything and was hardly going to give it up for sex.

Hours ago, the king had requested his grandsons presence. He was to be cleaned up and sent to Magnus's war room. Daken took pride in the prince's bath, using this final chance to humiliate the boy one last time before releasing his cuffs and sending him back out into freedom.

The two traversed the palace until they reached the war room's large open doorways. Through it the two walked, Daken stopping at the entrance, handing Billy back over to his former master.

Upon seeing his grandfather, Magnus signaled the boy over, acting as if none of the events of last night had transpired. As if he had not killed the captain, as if he had throne the princes beloved in a cell, as if he had not traded his own flesh and blood to the devil in exchange for his services. All of Billy's life, he had tried to impress his grandfather, in hopes that one day he would be proud of the boys accomplishments. But Magnus never had cared for the boy, not one bit. What the man cared about, all the man cared about, was power. Billy had only ever been one of his pawns.

The boy walked over to his grandfather who stood at the head of the long meeting table, leaning over it next to his chair. Why was he not sitting? What sinister plot had he in mind this time? Billy cautious came to his king's side, standing at attention. Standing so tall and firm hurt the boy a tremendous amount, his scars felt as if they were tearing open once more but this was something Magnus would never allow. Even if the stitches may have ripped, they were constructed of a metal alloy of which the king had dominion over. He no doubt keyed the stitches in places, relishing in the boys pain, knowing of the events that had transpired the night before.

"You called for me, sir?"

"Yes William... I trust you had a pleasant night? Maybe next time you'll think twice before betraying me in such a way."

"Like you betrayed me?" Billy retorted with a snarl.

"Watch your tongue boy or I will pull every speck of iron out of that bloodstream of yours... Or perhaps you'd like to watch me tighten that collar around Dorrek's neck?"

Billy remained quite.

"That's what I thought. Now take a seat my boy, we have much to discuss with our compatriots," Magnus exclaimed, gesturing to the seat next to him. Billy looked up at his grandfather, confused by the gesture. Could it be some form of trick? A test?

No doubt sensing the boys skepticism, Magnus explained further, "Yes. My thrown. Go on."

"Why?"

"You do not question your king boy. You do as I command."

Billy pondered over the night before. Of his experience with teddy and how he was still recovering from the... Intensity of their night. "I'd much rather stand."

Magnus snickered at the assertion. "Oh I am sure you would. But I gave you an order."

Billy gulped, slowly taking his seat. Immediately, his insides rang like fire, his stomach contracting in pain. Billy cringed slightly, doing his best not to exhibit weakness before the king but the pain was too much for him to handle. Magnus did not seem to notice Billy's brief display and moved on quickly.

"In a moment, you and I will receive a call for the Kree and Skrull empires to check in on the marriage. You will give the two cultures your condolences for their loss. It is a pity isn't it? Those damned Atlantians, coming in and slaughtering our men on your wedding day. Your husband was even lost after his valiant effort that saved our kingdom. You must be so distraught William. I am so sorry." Magnus then placed his hand, reassuringly on the boys shoulder. His voice sounded so... Sincere. If Billy had not seen the fate of his husband with his own eyes, he may have believed the contrived tale. Instead, Billy shot an angered glare to his grandfather.

The king snapped his fingers loudly and in rushed two guards, in their hands carrying a golden crown, bedazzled with precious stones. They then handed it to Magnus who placed it on the boy's head.

"There, now you look like a true king. Look sharp."

A moment later, the screens before the men turned on and Billy was faced with two very different looking species: One tall and strong with blue colored skin, the other short and stout with green skin. It was hard for Billy to imagine that Dorrek had belonged to either. Both seemed so... Detached.

"Congratulations Prince Maximoff on your marriage. Where if Dorrek? I wish to see the boy. He must be over joyed," the green colored Skrull questioned exuberantly.

There was a moment of silence in which Billy looked away from the monitors, debating on whether or not to tell the empires the true fates of their rightful rulers. Such an act would bring an unwinnable war to the planet... Thousands of citizens, human and mutant alike would perish.

"... Dorrek was a true warrior who fought to the end my liege... But he and his father are no longer of this earth," Billy explained, turning back to the monitor sympathetically. "Last night, the Atlantian's attacked with an intent for revenge against us for their recent loss. Your prince... My husband... He saved my life but at the price of his own."

"It cannot be true," the Kree proclaimed in disbelief.

"I am sad to say that it is..."

"And what of captain marvel?"

"The first to be killed in the attack. It came as a surprise to us all... There was no time for preparation."

A solemn hush fell over the room as the group honored its fallen rulers.

"Then I suppose the mantle falls into you young William. You, by our law, are the next ruler of both empires," the Skrull said.

Before Billy could reply, he felt a sting in his chest as his stitches began to tightly. The boy gritted his teeth, unable to show his grandfathers control over him to the spectators.

"That may be true but I am young... Too young to rule two empires. I would much rather you bestow this honor on my grandfather, King Magnus."

"So humble get a realist. You will make a fine ruler one day young William. Thank you for your candor on the subject," the Skrull proclaimed.

"Dignitaries from both empires will be dispatched to ensure the body's get a rightful burial as is our custom. There, we shall grant the rule of our empires over to you King Magnus," the Kree stated assertively.

"That is perfectly fine. I will prepare quarters for your men as soon as possible and will happily had captain marvels body over to them. But sadly, Dorreks body was lost at sea. Your prince was quite a warrior, pushed those damned creatures right back to the shore... There he was slaughtered, his body washed away with the tide," Magnus lied. Billy perked up slightly at the man's lie. The fact that he was hiding Teddy's body from the empires meant that he did not plan on killing him... Yet.

"That is... Unfortunate. But nevertheless, we will see you then my lord."

"Until then," Magnus said with a smile before turning the monitors off once again. Once off, Magnus frowned.

"They know."

"Know what my lord?"

"They know we lied. I blame you, you wretched filth."

Billy sat quietly, not saying anything, somehow feeling ashamed of his mistake. With a snap of his mighty fingers, the guards reentered the room, walking over to Billy. One removed the crown while the other unbuttoned the boys shirt, once again securing the power dampening collar around his bare neck.

"Daken!" Magnus called out. A split second later, the loyal mutt entered the room, strolling happily over to his newly acquired property. Billy's eyes opened wide as Daken fastened his hand around Billy's collar, tugging it roughly.

"N-no... Grandfather I did what you asked. I did it all. I lied, I betrayed the man I love, I did it. Please don't let him take me... Not again," Billy pleaded fearfully. He had never quiver in such a way before his grandfather, never begged at his feet before.

Magnus scoff slightly at the boys humiliating display. "I'm sorry son but he and I had deal. You belong to him now. I would order you not to tell your mother but I don't believe you'll be seeing her again. Don't worry... He won't kill you. I need you Billy. After all... You'll be King one day."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Dorrek had always dreamed of what his life would be like once he had inherited the throne. He had often wondered of a life without the one man he knew better then anyone else. Would the throne be lonely without his father guiding him? Or perhaps would his mate fill the captains shoes, keeping the young king grounded and unafraid? These were the questioned that had always haunted the boy throughout his journeys in space. Captain marvel was, after all, the only guardian Dorrek had ever known. He had been the only man to teach the prince, the only man to show the boy love in a universe filled with hatred.

Dorrek had never known his mother. He knew traits about her. She was a fair princess of a race known as the Skrulls. He had always surmised that she had every intention of being there for him, of loving him. But while he and his father were off learning all that they could about the universe that they resided in, someone had to rule the two empires. Her death had rocked the boy five years ago. The story went that the queen was poisoned by an ancient plant, only traceable to a desolate planted in the outer-rim of the Galaxy. When Dorrek and captain marvel had arrived to investigate, they came face to face with the murderer. He had been a Skrull of royal descent, promised the hand of the princess before the war between the two species had broken out, before she and the captain were forced into a marriage in order to bring the two empires together. In his final moments, the Skrull had stated that if he could not have the queen, no one would be able to.

Dorrek saw a look of anger in his father's eyes that he had never seen before in all of his years exploring their Galaxy. He was sure that marvel would have killed the alien right there where he stood... If Dorrek had not done it first, shifting his arm into a sharp blade and stabbing the murdering bastard in his vile chest. There, as the man's body lay bleeding out on Dorreks sharpened arm, he whispered something that made the boy shutter. "Seconds not the same."

His mother's death had hit the boy hard. It was then he saw how truly desperate a man could become when driven by lust and greed. That day, Dorrek had swore never to come in second to anyone, he swore that he would never become like that man, that he would never fall to his vices. Dorrek had promised himself that he would grow and learn, becoming a more powerful ruler then any other could for his father... For his mother... For himself.

Dorrek had never sunk as low in his life as he had on that day. Now, these memories swelled in the back of his mind, growing and growing as he sat captive in the holding cells of his newly wedded husbands palace. Earth had always seemed like sure a primitively place to the young ruler. Even now he sit, bound to a steel chair with metal cuffs around his hands and feet. Breaking out would have been simple for the prince but one small thing held back the beast inside. Around his bare neck, a collar had been secured, holding back every power the alien possessed, making him unable to even form clothes over his bare body as he sat in front of a glass wall.

The boy had been in this cell for what had felt like hours now. At first he had screamed and yelled, struggling desperately against the cuffs that had held him to the chair. Every few minutes guards would pass by causing the prince to cry out louder and struggle harder, making a scene. They did not seem to notice his outburst, walking past until they were out of sight.

Hour after hour, the prince had become more docile until he had finally given up, excepting his fate as a prisoner. Never in his life had Dorrek felt so stupid, so oblivious to the workings of a rival race. In hindsight, it was so easy to see. The mutants had just used him, gained his trust just to snatch his kingdom from under him while he was left to rot in this cell.

He should have been dead, murdered just like his father had been right in front of the boy's eyes. The captain's blood still stained the princes bare chest, coating over the blonde hairs with drops of dried red. Dorrek had wondered why the tyrant Magnus had kept him alive, why Billy had jumped in front of the dagger before it had reached him. Just to toy with him, he supposed. After all, the mutants had gotten what they wanted. There was no reason Dorrek should have still been alive. He served no further purpose. All the boy was now was a forgotten prince, thought dead by his people. Leaving him here, naked in front of a glass wall like some kind of display, was Magnus's way of humiliating the boy, of breaking him. Perhaps him hopes that one day Dorrek would bend to his sinister whims. This would never happen. Dorrek may have been stupid enough to be fooled by Billy but he would not be weak enough to be broken.

As more hours past, Dorrek felt a rage boiling up inside of him. He had since given up his futile outbursts when guards would occasionally walk by. It never seemed to get their attention anyway. All the boy could do was sit there, reliving every vivid moment of his father's death. He imagined marvels throat being sliced open, the blood, spewing out onto both he and Billy. He remembered how warm it felt; he had never imagined it would be so warm. More so, he yearned to feel the fear of Magnus, see the panic in his eyes as the boy slit his own throat open before Billy. It was all he had dreamed about in these hours.

In the next, this urge, this dream, was diminished as the boy finally realized that no one was coming. He would never get his chance of escape or even to face his father's murderer. Magnus was too much of a coward to come down here, to face him. No, the king was perfectly happy up there on his throne while the boy had been left down here to rot with the rest of Magnus's prisoners.

"How ya holdin up?" A voice called out unexpectedly from behind Dorrek. It almost caused the prince to jump, but instead of exhibiting fear, the noble prince chose to remain silent and strong, pretending not to notice his roommate's question. How odd it seemed to Dorrek that this man would choose now to speak up after all his time in the cell.

"Oh don't be like that. I know you've been itching to talk to someone," the voice spoke quickly, drawing closer and closer with each would. Soon, Dorrek felt a hand on his shoulder. Another came around the side, grabbing onto the princes chin and stroking his thin beard slightly as he examined the boys face.

"Lotta hair on ya for a kid your age. What are ya? 18? 19? Your beards as good as mine kid..." The man came around to the boys front where he could now get a good look of the figure behind the mysterious voice. Before him squatted a tall, muscular man fitted with a rank top and orange jumpsuit that had been tired around his waist. He did not appear very old, perhaps middle age, but his hair was fully silver as well as his neatly groomed beard. From first sight, Dorrek had felt as if he had seen the man before. It took him a moment to place the face to the portrait he had seen of the Maximoff family a few days earlier. Though he was more muscular and distinguished now, there was no mistake that the man in front of him was indeed Pietro Maximoff. "... And I'm a lot older then you."

Dorrek scowled, turning his head from the traitor. He had heard the story of Pietro and his betrayal of his people. Dorrek detested the house of m but he as a prince could never condone such behavior, let alone associate with such a person.

"You're a traitor." Dorrek snarled.

"Traitor? Yes. Tell me you wouldn't try to overthrow that asshole if you had the chance." Pietro replied. "Look kid, you're no saint either or you wouldn't be in here with that fancy piece of jewelry around your neck and strapped to this comfortable front row seat. It doesn't look like the guards are coming around anytime soon either so it looks like I'm you're only hope of help in obtaining food and other things so I'd show a little respect."

After a moment of silence, Dorrek looked back up to the man apologetically. It was wrong to pass judgment on someone he did not know so harshly. "I am sorry my prince. Forgive me."

"Water under the bridge," Pietro replied, taking a seat against the glass wall to face Dorrek. "Well it looks like we'll be romping together a while... No reason in not getting to know each other. You first and don't you dare skip on the details.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Air whipped Tommy's face as he ran, his silver locks wavering in the wind as the speedster raced about the city of New York. For Tommy, running had always been second nature. The world had always seemed too slow for the prince, it's workings to complicated and difficult for the impatient prince to follow. He much preferred to be ahead of the curve, to work faster then the others, to leave them in the dust as he figured things out before they even had the chance to formulate what they planned on saying.  
This had always made the boy feel like something... More. Something special. As if his gift had granted him everyone's dependence, as if because of his speed the world would look to him first. But as Tommy soon learned, the world he was quicker then would somehow always leave him behind.  
Tommy had never been his grandfather's favorite. William had always taken that position. So regal, so refined, so strong, William had possessed all of the true attributes of a ruler. He had always been meant to be Magnus's successor. Though, Magnus had hardly treated William as a favorite at all in their youths. The irony was never lost on Tommy.  
In their childhood, both princes had thought Tommy was the tyrant's favorite. Tommy had never been subjugated to the same training as Billy, he had never been forced to do anything he did not wish to do, and Magnus never dared asked anything from Tommy. Both of them had seen this as kindness, as some kind of caste ranking. But as Billy grew stronger, becoming raw in his training, Tommy had become sloppy in the usage of his powers, using them in any reckless way he had pleased with no form of punishment whatsoever.  
Now as Billy was off no doubt on a blissful honeymoon with his newly wed husband, Tommy was left to patrol the city on his own. It did not bother him much what his brother had been gifted. Tommy was not a particularly spiteful boy and believed his brother had deserved every bit of his riches in the week that had passed but the idea of what could have been still haunted Tommy at every turn. What if things had been different? What if Tommy had been Magnus's rewarded successor? What if Billy had never been born? Would Tommy had been a better ruler? Would he have become particularly more powerful? Or would he still be the same pathetic excuse of a prince he was today? These questions plagued the boy's brain. He could run from his responsibilities and the Royal guards all day, but these thoughts of another reality were something Tommy could never hope to out run.  
Little had changed in the weeks that preceded Billy's wedding. Tommy had remade his tattered suit, adding in some enhancements that seemed to fit with the design he was going for and he had begun to see someone. Kate Bishop was no princess, no mutant, no alien from a far off planet, but she had been the only woman to ever look at him with respect and had been the only one to be able to put the boy in his place. The twos relationship had begun that night prior to Billy's wedding at the rave. Tommy couldn't help but shutter as he remembered how she looked that night, how she moved, like an angle trapped by the bonds of gravity. She had always deserved to fly, to soar high over them all, to find a world in which she would be accepted as more then a second class citizen because she was truly so much more then that.  
Kate now stood before the kitchen sink of the royal palace, scrubbing vigorously at the porcelain plate in her hands. The soapy water splashed around the servant as she angrily scrubbed deeply and personally at the stain, almost destroying the plate in the process. The past few weeks had been less then ideal for the young maiden. With Prince William gone, Wanda had taken care to task the girl with as many chores as possible. It was bearable at first for a girl used to hard labor but it soon turned. Each day that passed without the prince, she grew more and more irritable. It had been two weeks now and Kate was worried more then ever. Billy should have been back by now. He and Dorrek should be training together, becoming ready to rule over the kingdom. They should be there, at the palace. Each day Kate had promised herself that her long awaited friend would walk through the entryway doors and each day she had been disappointed. When she had approached the king about this, however, he was very reclusive, scolding the girl for asking such nonsensical questions and assuring her that Billy was having a long needed vacation.  
Magnus had always sickened the girl. Any human had seen the disgusting, tyrannical things that the king had done to their kind out of some sort of personal vendetta. It was as if the king hated humans for some injustice they had committed as a species. To Kate, the entire family was insane. Wanda had always seemed like she carried around guilt with her wherever she went, not staring at any one person for two long. She hadn't even held the boys when they were children. Something in them had made the woman feel ashamed of herself. Kate could never find this fatal flaw in either of the boys. The most ordinary of the bunch, Tommy and Billy had always seemed like two fine young men. Sure, they both had their issues but nothing like the rest of the family. Kate had never known Pietro or Lorna very well. Pietro had been incarcerated for much of her stay and Lorna did seldom bother to show her face around the palace. She had always seemed to have something more important or diplomatic to do to stay around here for too long. Perhaps her frequent departures had to do with her position or perhaps Magnus's daughter had seen the family's flaws and desired not to be apart of them any longer. Kate had never been able to discern which but had always provided herself with the latter response. It provided her with hope that the entire house was not entirely screwed up.  
Before the young maid could finish her thought, a gust of wind breezed into the room, ruffling her dress as it passed by her.  
"What's cookin good lookin?" A voice whispered seductively in her ear as two spandex cladded arms wrapped around the girls waist.  
The new, expected company had startled the girl. With a shrill squeak and a tensing of the muscles, Kate jumped, letting go of the porcelain plate. It shattered with a loud clang as it impacted on the tile floor beneath the twos feet.  
"Ugh Tommy! Look what you made me do," Kate exclaimed, attempting to bend over and pick up the pieces but was stopped by her partner who held his grasp firmly around the girl's waist.  
"Oops. I'm sorry, Katie," Tommy said apologetically, spinning the girl around. "I promise never to startle you again."  
The maiden looked back at him with an annoyed look, gazing up and down at his new apparel. She had never seen anything so tight on the boy before. She and Tommy had never been close before recently. She had always heard of the second princes escapades as a hero from Billy but never imagined what the boy had worn during his rescue missions. "What the hell of you wearing?"  
"My uniform babe. You like?" He asked cockily, smirking down at Kate.  
"Babe?" She asked looking away slightly. For two weeks now Tommy had fancied Kate as more then just his servant, as more then a friend or a trusted advisor. She had known this and had believed she felt the same way too but somehow she could not bring herself to tell the boy how she felt. The words of romance and love felt so foreign to the girl. The emotions scared her more then Tommy's pop ups ever could. She had wanted more with the prince but now, with all of the stress thrusted onto her in the past weeks, she felt as if things had moved too fast between the two. To her there was not them... Not yet anyway.  
"Babe. It's a thing guys call their girls."  
"So I'm yours?"  
"Well you are my servant."  
"Tommy!"  
"Kidding you're my girlfriend. Gosh. Take a pill babe."  
"I'm not your babe."  
"What?"  
"I'm not yours."  
"I know I..."  
"Let me go!"  
With that Tommy let go of his grasp around the girls waist, letting a silence fall over the room. Kate felt bad about her rash behavior. She knew how irrational and stupid it must seem to the prince but to her all of this was too much to bare. Eager to do something more then stand in silence, Kate bent down, collecting the shards of shattered white specs on the floor. Tommy squatted down next to her, gazing sympathetically at her, waiting for an explanation. After a moment, Kate stopped with a sigh, looking back up to her companion.  
"I'm sorry Tommy. I've just been worried a lot lately."  
"About what?"  
"Billy. He hasn't been around and..."  
"He's on his honeymoon..."  
"Yes I know that's what Magnus said but... Don't you wonder where this honeymoon is? Or how long he'll be gone? Or why he left without saying goodbye?"  
A silence once again fell over the two.  
"This isn't about Billy is it?" Tommy finally asked.  
"What do you mean?"  
"You don't want to be with me," he replied standing up. "It's cool... I just kinda thought we had something. But whatever."  
"What?! No. Tommy stop."  
"You always liked Billy more anyways. Always hanging around him, looking at him with such... Admiration... Love."  
"He saved my life! You saved yours too. Countless times. I'm just grateful."  
"And I'm not?"  
"I don't know Tommy. Are you? Do you look back on your childhood and thank Billy for every time he saved you, every time you left his ass to suffer to save your own? Or do you blame him? Do you blame him for stealing your spotlight in granddaddy's little circus?!"  
"How dare you! Y-you..."  
"Me what, Tommy? I the peasant? I the thief? I the human? At least it's better then being nobody."  
The two went silent once more, a fiery passion erupting in the look exchanged between them. Then suddenly as if by instinct, Tommy grabbed Kate, pressing his lips against hers as he held her close, closer then he had held any woman before. This is the electric feeling that had kept Kate with the boy for as long she had. It seemed that especially when the two were at their worst, together they were at their best. Two strong personalities prevailed, triumphing with passion over every conflict that arose between the two. Kate let Tommy's kiss wash over her, absorbing his love into every fiber of her being and then pulling away as if knowing that she could never had too much of a good then. She gazed back into his eyes, now excited and teeming with electricity. He needed to run. She knew that now.  
"He's in trouble isn't he?" Tommy asked Kate nervously, shaking as he held her in his arms.  
"Maybe... I just don't know where."  
"Kate..."  
"Yeah?"  
"I think... No. It's stupid."  
"What?"  
"Nothing."  
"Tell me."  
"I think I'm in love with you..."  
"Yeah?... Yeah. I think..."  
"Don't. Don't reply to that. I don't want to know."  
"But..."  
"Tell me when we find my brother. He's our top priority. Then afterwards we can see what's left of 'us.'"  
Kate nodded, laying her head to rest on the boys firm pec. His heart beated irregular, faster then any normal humans. Perhaps it was the exchange of passion between the two or maybe it was worry for his twin brother. Either Kate would have taken happily as hers beated for the same reasons.  
"Now... I don't know where grandfather could be keeping him... If he is. But I'll scour the entire palace if I need to just to get him back," Tommy promised, squeezing onto Kate's shoulders tightly.  
"No need my liege," a voice called out from elsewhere in the room. Immediately the two looked up to come face to face with another servant girl. There was no telling how long she had been standing there but she was recognized almost immediately by the prince as Cassandra Lang, a step daughter to one of the shield soldiers, Jessica Lang. Tommy had never cared for Jessica or her illegitimate child. Both seemed crude and awfully untrained women. Nevertheless they were humans, the race Tommy had swore to protect, to serve, and he would not let anything happen to her under his watch. "I know where your brother is being held. What do you know of a guard by the name of Daken?"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Pain. The only thing Billy had been able to feel in the weeks that had preceded his capture was pain. It was not a feeling that had ever been foreign to the boy. Growing up, his grandfather had always made sure that the boy knew it better then any other, both mentally and physically. The king had constantly subjugated the boy to torture, to abuse and mistreatment in hopes it would teach Billy how to be a true ruler... A true king... Or at least that was what had told Billy all of those years.  
Where the prince stood now, beaten and naked chained up as a plaything in Daken's living quarters, it seemed that had never once cared for Billy's future, never once cared if the boy would rule after him. No, now it seemed clear that all those years of torture and abuse had not build William up to power but tore him down into an obedient slave.  
They idea tang haunt Billy the most was not all of the time he wasted or all of the years he had be subjugated to such atrocities but that he allowed each lash, each incision to happen. It digested the boy that he had been gullible enough to believe the tyrant all of those years, that he had allowed himself to feel in hopes that Magnus's promises were true. Billy could have used his powers at any point to numb the pain, to take away the situation entirely. But something had always held him back. The pain, while excruciating, was true, it was a feeling, it was real. If Billy had stopped all of those years of torture and pain in one single thought then how would he have ever known what was true again? So he let each stab cut him, each lash scar him and he had never once taken away from the pain, not even slightly, because it was real.  
But now Billy wished nothing more then to alter his reality, to escape this sick prison of Magnus's making, to bring back captain marvel... Teddy. William wanted nothing more then to make it all end once and for all, to erase his sick, tyrannical grandfather out of existence, to make it so none of this had ever happened. But those dreams would go unanswered and unheard as long as he stood in that god-forsaken room.  
Time had escaped the boy what felt like weeks ago as Daken kept him chained to the wall in an up right position each day and night. During the days, Daken would leave the boy alone in the blackened room, a gag stuffed tightly into his mouth, keeping Billy from calling out for any kind of help. Though this task seemed unnecessary to the boy. If the staff had not heard his whales of pain in the night how on earth would they be able to hear his screams of help during the day? Perhaps the gag was not for practical use but yet another attempt at humiliation by his captor who took great pride in the subject.  
But as Daken slashed the boy in the nights, tearing away flesh and bones, he would never accomplish what he had wanted to. He would never break the boy more then he had already been broken by his grandfather. He would never humiliate the boy more then he had already humiliated himself. The torture Daken put him through would never amount to the pain Billy felt each time the beast left him alone to rot and think in the pitch black room. Leaving the boy to ponder his mistakes, his grievances, his embarrassments. Every minute of the time Billy would blame himself, not for his predicament but for Teddy's. His heart would ache for his husband, wondering if he had not married teddy so rashly, if he had not obeyed his king so adamantly seeking his approval, then maybe none of this would have happened and Dorrek would be living happily with his father.  
It took what felt like days but eventually Williams new master returned, opening the door to his room and letting the bright florescent lighting of the castles halls flood into the room, illuminating every vivid detail of the room. After weeks of discipline and sadism, Billy's body was covered with the stains of dried blood and countless scars that lined the boys chest and back. Each seemed insignificant and small, all but one. On Billy's right pec, a large letter had been carved into his flesh, a capital D signifying who the boy belonged to. Out of every scar William had every received, that was the one of which he was most ashamed of.  
Daken took a moment to admire his handy work as he stood in the doorway, leaning on its frame. Billy wished to stare his captor head on, proving himself not to be a coward but after weeks in captivity, surrounded by darkness, the boys eyes could not stand the bright light of the hall and was forced to look away. Dakens face brightened at Billy's watering eyes and he stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. The once great prince was broken. It mattered not to Daken whether this had been his or Magnus's doing. Just the sight of the princes tears brought a sense of pride and accomplishment to the monster. It was all he had wanted since the first day he had laid eyes on William and now it was finally a reality. The prince was his and no one could take him away.  
"Honey I'm home," Daken said snakily. Slowly, he unbuttoned the shirt to his uniform and removed it, revealing the toned tattooed chest it had concealed. This act had become a ritual for the man long before Billy had come into the picture. It seemed suitable to Billy that a man as feral as Daken would enjoy a life without clothing. Daken then walked up to his prize, removing the ball gag from the princes mouth to once again enable his speech. "So are we ready for some stress relieving or do I need to teach you another lesson, baby?"  
Billy rolled his eyes at the remark. "Sorry Daken, I don't have sex with dogs. It's immoral," Billy retorted punctuating his sentence with a was of spit in Daken's direction. The liquid landed on the mans cheek prompting an angry growl as he wiped it off.  
"Fine," Daken said as he picked up an instrument of torture off of the floor. "I get off either way kid. I was just trying to help you out."  
"I don't need your help." Billy stated firmly. "I don't need anyone's help."  
"Sure you don't." Daken then pulled on Billy's collar, bringing their faces closer together. "I suppose this was all apart of your little plan. Get married, get the father in law killed, become my bitch. Nice going. Do you know how long you've been at this Billy? Two weeks. No ones coming. Your family never fucking cared kid. You're never getting outta this. The way I see it, you got two options, be my toy or be my lover. Either way, you're never seeing space boy again. So I'll ask again: are you gonna get that perfectly shaven ass of yours in bed or not?"  
Billy glared at Daken for a moment and then in one swift motion, lifted his leg up and smashed it into Daken's crotch. "Bite me."  
"That can be arranged," Daken snarled out through gritted teeth. He then took the switch in hand and raised it high over his head, ready to strike done on the boy with as much force as he could possibly muster up. Done his hand came, striking across the boys chest, tearing the skin in the process. Billy winced and gritted his tear as he desperately trying to hold back his screams. Again and again the switch came down, each time seeming harder then the last, each lash cutting deeper into the boys already damaged skin. Never once in these lashes did Billy scream, never once had the boy shown pain or mercy, never once had he given Daken his satisfaction. He just stood, cringing at the stinging pain the monster had inflicted.  
Daken grunted, throwing the switch down in a fit of rage, seeing that it had little effect on the boy. The man popped out his mutated ebony colored bone claws and swiftly jabbed them into the boys shoulder. Unable to contain himself any longer, Billy let out a whale of utter pain and agony. Daken grinned sinisterly. He let the claws sit for a moment, twisting them slowly as his body filled with the ecstasy of the boys pain. It fueled the man, filled him with a sense of purpose, of happiness, of being complete. In his own sick way he had always loved Billy and now the prince was all his, his to do whatever he wanted to with. Daken had always held out hope that Billy would give up. That one day he would learn to love Daken, to love the pain. It had taken longer then expected but it mattered not to the beast. He had time to teach the boy.  
After a moment Daken pulled out his claws, letting the blood stained bones enter his mouth, sucking each one clean before the prince. Then he walked up closer to his toy, letting his body press up against the other mans. Daken then grabbed onto Williams jawline, holding it up firmly to face him. It had seemed funny to the sadist. All of this time he had regarded William as a boy, a naive, stupid, innocent boy. But through the week, through the marriage, he had become so much more. So strong, so willful, so resilient. He was a man. This fact mattered not to Daken any more and in time it would come not to matter to William either. One day soon Billy would accept his true role as Daken's pet and then he would cease to be the man he is and become something far less.  
"Kiss me." Daken ordered.  
Billy tried to look away from the animal with a look of disdain on his face but Daken was relentless and his grip firm, holding the boys face to his.  
"Kiss me," he ordered once more.  
"No."  
"Why?"  
"I have standards."  
Daken glared angrily at hearing this reaction and dug his claws back into the holes they had created before.  
"Why?"  
"I... I..." Billy stammered out through the pain.  
"Kiss me and I'll stop."  
"N... N..."  
"Do it!"  
"F... Uck. Y...y... Ou."  
Daken dug the claws in deeper prompting a scream from the man.  
"Kiss me!" Daken commanded once more.  
"Yo, he said no," a voice from behind said firmly. Quickly, Daken turned to face the intruder and lay his eyes on the being full with enough hubris to speak to him in such a way. There before him stood Thomas Maximoff, the twin brother of Billy. Daken growled upon the sight of the boy, removing his claws from Billy's shoulder and assuming an attack stance, ready to strike the man before him if he made a wrong move.  
"Nice place you got here Daken. Little on the bondage side but if that's what you're into..."  
"What do you want Maximoff?"  
"You mean prince Maximoff I assume and I'm here for my brother."  
"Your brother? I don't know where he is. All that's in here is you, me and my reward."  
"Reward?" Tommy questioned confused. Unwilling to wait for a response from the primaries brute before him, Tommy sped past Daken to his brother who stood chained to the wall in an upright position. Billy smiled slightly at the sight of his brother but then quickly went limp once more under the pain.  
Tommy had never seen his brother in such a state, so helpless and near his breaking point. Tommy placed his hands on his brothers bleeding chest. It was smooth and shaven. The only hair in sight was stubble that had just begun to grow.  
"W... What have you done to him?!"  
"You like it?" Daken asked with a smirk. "I'll guarantee you won't find a hair on any inch of that precious body and I mean ANY inch."  
"Y... You..."  
"I like my men smooth and broken. Tight helps too."  
With that Tommy spun around, running up to his brothers captor at full speed and forcing the feral beast to the wall.  
"YOU RAPED HIM!"  
"Rape? No. Shaved some fun parts, touched, molested, but never raped."  
"You're lying!"  
"Nope. It's his choice to have sex with me. I told him that from the start. I promised I wouldn't stop the torture either way so we know he's not forced into it."  
"I'll kill you."  
"Ya you can't actually do that kid. I don't die. It's messy."  
"I... I'll..."  
"You'll what? Tell granddaddy? He gave me your brother. He made Billy my property, my slave. Face it kid, there's nothing you can do. Billy's going to stay here with me and you're gonna tuck that pretty little tail of yours between your legs and run. It's what you're best at isn't it?"  
Tommy stood there a moment, his hands around Daken's neck, holding the captor to the wall. He wanted nothing more then to squeeze, squeeze until he saw the life drip from Daken's eyes and he would too but Daken's power made it so that he would always come back. Any attempt on the mans life was a waist. In the end, he would always get Billy back. It seemed to Tommy that there was only one choice left.  
Slowly, he let go of his grip on Daken's neck, his gaze fixating on the mans rippling muscles as he breathed rapidly trying to regain his air.  
"... I'll do it."  
"Do what kid?"  
"I'll take Billy's place. I'll have sex with you. I'll let you do this all to me so that he would have to go through it."  
Daken stood there for a moment, pondering over the mans decision. Then he walked over to the night stand, picking up a collar and placing around Tommy's neck, nullifying his speed powers.  
"N... NO! TOMMY STOP!" Billy cried out with every fiber of his being, desperately attempting to gain his brother s attention but it was no use. Tommy did not listen. He stood tall and proud, ready to save his brother just as his brother had done for him many times before.  
"Take it off," Daken commanded.  
Tommy complied, slowly stripping out of his skin tight uniform, revealing his tattoo underneath. It was so vibrant and beautiful, even seeming to glow in the darkness of the room. He had never told Billy where he had gotten the odd colorful pattern or why. It had just always been there, staining his left shoulder. Tommy then begun to take off his jock strap.  
"Stop," Daken commanded. "You can leave that on."  
Tommy stopped and looked back up at his master. Daken walked up slowly to the man until their body's were inches apart. Then in one foul motion, Daken through the man over onto the bed forcefully, holding Tommy down with one arm as he undid his pants with the other. Daken quickly removed what little clothing he still had on and was soon standing behind Tommy fully naked.  
He did not ask permission before entering the man, beginning to thrust in and out of Tommy's opening. Each thrust was harder and more painful then the last. Tommy gritted his teeth firmly, trying desperately to be as strong as his brother had been during the week.  
"S... Stop!" Billy called out as he looked away, the only indication of the coitus being Daken's grunts with each thrust. Neither of the men seemed to pay Billy's pleas much mind as they continue with no pause in their agreement.  
A half hour seemed to pass of Tommy in the same position. The pain had more or less subsided by now or he was at least use to the dry friction of Daken's member. The beast let out a howl and ejected from Tommy, pulling the man up by his silver locks of hair and sitting him down in a proper position. Tommy said nothing but looked up to his new "owner" with a questioning look of what was to happen next.  
Billy's pleas of Tommy's freedom had ceased long ago as he learned that neither of them cared about his opinion. Tommy had made his mind on what he wanted. In a way, Billy had felt grateful for his brothers sacrifice but deep down he knew it had been unnecessary. Daken was a dishonorable monster that cared not for the sacrifices of others. Tommy's deal would not be honored and Billy knew this.  
In silence, Daken sat on Tommy's lap, stroking his large hands through the princes silver hair gently now as if making up for his brash behavior prior.  
"Maybe I had it all wrong. Maybe I've been going for the wrong brother this entire time... Or maybe I got both of them right where I want them," he said with a sinister smirk.  
"What?!" Tommy exclaimed.  
"You and Billy. Y'know I didn't think of it before but what an amazing idea. Ain't it? Why have one brother when I could have both."  
"But... But..."  
"Oh come on Tommy. You know you loved what just happened and why on earth should I deprive Billy of that?"  
"It was rape."  
"It was consensual. You actually asked me for it."  
"I..."  
"Stop playing the victim Tommy. You had to know this was going to happen. After all I am the bad..." Daken was cut off instantly as an arrow cut through the air, landing straight into the Devils forehead, knocking him off of Tommy's lap and onto the floor.  
"Holy shit. What happened to you two?" Kate asked, lowering her quiver as she entered the room.  
"Kate... I said I'd handle it..." Tommy stand, looking away from the woman as she entered the room.  
She smiled softly. "I know but... I love you stupid. I had to do something."  
"C... Ute" Billy stammered out.  
Kate turned to the man, shocked by his deathly appearance.  
"Billy? Oh my god. What did he do to you?!" She cried out, rushing to the mans side. Quickly, Kate picked the locks on the shackles and Billy fell into her open arms. She then sat the prince up against a wall, unlocking the collar around his neck.  
"I'm... Fine. I just... Tommy. Is Tommy...?"  
The two turned to Tommy who stood uneasily in the opposite corner of the room holding onto his stomach tightly. He then, unable to contain it any longer, barfed onto the floor below.  
"Oh my god."  
"I'm fine," Tommy assured the two.  
"What did he do to you?!" Kate demanded.  
"I'm fine."  
"You're bleeding."  
Tommy looked down to the back of his leg where a trickle of blood had dried.  
"He nicked me."  
"Oh I nicked him. Nicked him good," Daken coughed out, ripping the arrow from his cranium. "Don't worry about him Katie, his ass is just sore because some of my seed is still in it."  
Tommy looked away in shame.  
"Awh tom tom, don't be like that. You're acting like we didn't just make the hottest love you've ever known."  
"Tommy?" Kate asked.  
Daken stood, walking over to Tommy. Once he got to the prince, he wrapped his arms around the mans neck, holding him like an old friend.  
"Tell her Tommy. Tell her you loved it. Tell her you asked for it."  
"Kate I... I just..."  
"ENOUGH!" Billy screamed out. His eyes began to turn blue as they had before and his body erupted with a light aura of power as his body rose off of the ground. He then rose up his hand to Daken.  
"Sit." Billy commanded, his voice different, metallic. It echoed throughout the room as he spoke, resonating in each wall. Immediately, the man squatted on the ground like an obedient dog.  
Billy's body then began to lower until he was back onto the ground.  
"What did you do to him?" Tommy questioned, squatting to Daken's level. There before him their captor looked back with wide, curious eyes. Daken then jumped onto Tommy, licking his face and panting wildly.  
"He wanted to act like a dog? I made him one or at least he thinks he's one."  
"Uuuuuhhhh cool?"  
Billy whistled, calling his new pet off of his brother and to his side. He sensed an uneasy feeling in Tommy one that could only come from what Daken had just done to him, what Daken had taken from him. He wouldn't pry his brother for answers; Tommy would talk when he felt ready. Right now there was more on Billy's mind.  
"We gotta find teddy."  
"Your In no shape to...," Kate began as she tugged on Billy's arm, pulling him back.  
"I'm fine. He needs me... Us. And we gotta find him Kate."  
"We know..." Tommy stated. "And we know where to find the big guy."


	15. Chapter 15

All Dorrek had ever wanted in life was to give, to project his happiness onto others, to place them up so high that no one would ever be able to knock them down. In many instances this need to help had led to endings that never seemed to do the young prince any justice. Each person he had helped had always craved more and each time he had provided it, giving the shirt off his back to a person who saw it necessary to have. Dorrek had vowed to give and ask for nothing in return, to love the universe and all of its inhabitants, to make each person he had come in contact with better for the experience of knowing him. This concept would have worked of the universe was a loving and butting place but this it was not. Each friendship, each relationship he had carried out in this manner never lasted. Comrades of the boy eventually got use to his loving and giving nature; unconsciously each had begun to slowly use the boy, treating him worse and worse with each favor until they had grown tired of his complacent obedience and moved on.  
Many had left Dorrek in his life but through it all, Dorrek had never stopped helping, never stopped caring for each and every individual he had come into contact with. It was not until he had found someone so willing to do what he had done for others, however, that the prince fell deeply in love. From the moment he had heard tales of Billy's deeds of saving his brother, seeing footage of the trainings, he knew that he had to have the young prince.  
It seemed to the prince now as if those tales had been spun from a web of lies, the footage foraged by a computer expert. For the man he married, the man that had betrayed him could not possibly be all of the things that the prince had heard of him. From the moment of his father's death as the hands of Magnus, teddy had finally given up. He vowed to no longer put others on pedestals, to no longer see then for anything else then what they truly were. In his husbands case that was a scared, whimpering, complacent slave of his grandfather who betrayed even the ones he most loved for the tyrants approval.  
Over the weeks he had spent in captivity, Dorrek had tried hard to forget the prince. He had wished to had the man for all he had done. He wanted to blame Billy for his fathers murder and he would have with no issue if not for Billy's courageous act of jumping in front of the dagger before it had impelled into Dorrek himself. This act had haunted the alien for nights on end, keeping him wondering why the prince had done it. If it were all an act, and Dorrek was convinced it was, then why do something so noble? Why keep the only being standing between you and the throne alive? Was it some last attempt at torturing the prince before forcing him into a life of imprisonment or had it been more? Had it really been Billy coming to his rescue after all? As much as Dorrek wanted to believe against the latter something about the notion stuck in his brain, tainting every bad thought of the house of m with as deed of nobility. After a few days, Dorrek had come to a collision about these thoughts that had sickened him to his core. The reason he could not hate Billy was not because of his final act of courage or the love they had shared together. Deep down Dorrek knew his husband was innocent, a mere pawn in the Kings game and had been as blind to the Kings true intentions as he had been all along.  
However, none of this mattered in the least. Either way, whether he loved his husband or chose to hate him, the prince was still trapped in that damned chair, naked and put on display for all to see. He supposed he had been deemed by the king as too dangerous to let out of his cage as Pietro had been due to the fact that for two weeks he had seen no other walls of the palace then the one that sit directly in front of him. Every now and then a mutant would teleport in, bringing the two princes their food. Pietro would usually come and sit in front of the prince after they had left, feeding the bound man by spoon as if he were a child. The entire situation had been the most demeaning thing Dorrek had ever encountered. He hated this feeling of uselessness, of hopelessness, of being dependent on another for survival.  
While feeding was awkward for both men, other things had become more undesirable then the daily task. In fact, Dorrek was unable to do anything on his own. The first few days, then men had waited for the guards to take care of Dorrek but after they had come and gone for dinner, the two had realized that they were on their own.  
For the last two weeks Pietro had looked after Dorrek as if he was his own, never hesitating to do anything for the prince. Often Dorrek had sensed a feeling of pride in the man during a lunch or two but he never commented on it. He supposed that maternal instincts existed in all creatures. The feeling to be needed was over powering, humbling, and most of all the making of a man. Pietro had clearly never had to care for anyone other then himself, at least not for a while. The beginning had been rocky for both but eventually the man got the hand of care giving and begun to do tasks more adamantly.  
Dorrek had admired Pietro and had greatly appreciated all he had done but deep done still felt a feeling of resentment towards the man. Each time he looked at pietros face all he could see was the face beneath the newly grown beard, the face that greatly resembled his tyrant father, the face of captain marvels murderer. While Dorrek was aware that Magnus and Pietro were two very different men, he could not help but feel a twist in his stomach with each spoon full of apple sauce or any humoring conversation.  
Many times such as this, the alien had pretended to sleep, hoping not to fill the silent void with any unnecessary conversation with the mutant. Pietro usually respected the boys sleep, laying in his bed and trying hard not to make any noise.  
After a moment, the mutant speedster got up, stretching his ligaments as if he had been in bed for centuries, never feeling a sense of comfort after laying on the old box spring mattress. He then walked slowly over to the alien prince who's head hung low and eyes stay welded shut. Pietro had always known when the boy was faking but never wished to bring it up. He knew of what happened and why Dorrek might be less likely to want to talk to him and he was ok with that.  
Pietro gently placed his cool hand on the boys bare shoulder, nudging it slightly to 'wake' him. Dorrek the pretended to jump awake as if he had been startled by the contact.  
"Teddy... You good?" Pietro questioned, squeezing the boys shoulder to signal what he was really asking: 'Do you need to go to the bathroom?' Teddy blushed, turning away in embarrassment. The prince's bathroom needs were still something the two were working out and he often did not like to discuss it with the man.  
"Ya I'm good." Teddy murmured under his breath.  
"Do you need anything else?"  
"Like what?"  
"I don't know, man..." Pietro rubbed the back of his head uneasily and then walked in front of the boy, taking a seat against the glass wall. "... Do you need anything like teeth brushing? A bath? Maybe a bedtime story?" The last one was a joke; one teddy did not take kindly to. The young alien rolled his eyes annoyed. He knew that being sensitive wasn't going to get him out of this chair or out of the power-dampening collar around his neck but Dorrek had detested it when Pietro brought up such thing. It made Dorrek feel like less of a man, as if he were a young boy once again, an infant.  
"Sorry," Pietro apologized upon reading the boys new visage. "Bad timing for that one but seriously. Anything you need I'll do."  
"Maybe a... Uh maybe a shave?"  
"Sorry dude, dad stopped sending razors to me a while ago. I got some scissors I can trim your beard up with."  
Teddy looked away once more, this time in sadness. "I meant my body..."  
"Oh... I don't mind it."  
"I do!" Teddy snapped back at the man. He did not mean for his demeanor to be so rash and crude towards someone that had done so much for him but the pain associated with his form had haunted him. It was a form he had taken to please his husband, to be more like the prince, during Daken's abduction of the two, Teddy had been forced into maintaining this form, unable to change back to what his once was. He was a prisoner in his own body and could not stand to see it every day in the reflection of the class.  
Sensing the alien's pain, Pietro got up immediately, walking over to the prince and placing a hand on his arm, rubbing it up and down to sooth the boy. Physical contact had always seemed to calm Dorrek in times of posttraumatic stress from the incident. Many night Pietro hand laid by the boys side, comforting him in as he screamed out in his sleep.  
Dorrek rested for a moment, breathing in and out deeply. Then he looked back up to his guardian who stood before him tall and unwavering as he always had. In instances like these, Dorrek had abandoned his seeing Pietro as Magnus for mere seconds and saw him as something else... Someone else. Before him in this brief period was not his caregiver Pietro or the mad tyrant Magnus but his deceased father captain marvel. Many times in the boys life when in times of great stress, his father had held him tightly in his arms as he flew them out of danger, stroking the boys forearm with his thumb as he clutched tightly. But with on blink, this phantasmal vision had disappeared and there Pietro stood with the same loving look on his face that the captain had moments before.  
"I... I'm sorry fath... Pietro," Teddy stammered out embarrassed by his actions.  
"Father?" Pietro questioned.  
"It's nothing... My mistake."  
A silence fell over the two, Pietro never once halting on his strokes.  
"Do you ever want children? Have you ever thought about wanting them?" Teddy questioned curiously, not wanting to sound odd but desperately seeking to break the utter silence tags had engulfed the room.  
Pietro let out a sigh and smiled softly. "Yeah... I guess at one point I did."  
"What happened to that?"  
"I don't know kid... I don't know. I think along the way I just kinda lost perspective on what was important. Yknow?"  
"Yeah... I know."  
Silence once again fell over the room.  
"You'd make a good one... A father."  
"Huh. How do you figure that?"  
"Well you took care of me, a grown man bound to a chair, for two weeks. You've fed me, bathed me, comforted me, befriended me."  
"Heh you're not a grown man Ted."  
"I most certainly am. I'm twenty earth years. That's well past adulthood for most."  
"Oh you're an adult but you're not grown." Pietro stopped rubbing the boys shoulder and squatted down to eye level, letting his hand fall on to the boys knee. "You've got a lot to learn Teddy, a lot more to experience."  
"Like the wall behind me?"  
"You'll get outta this. They'll find you down here one day. One day dad will get sloppy, one day you'll go free."  
"And you?"  
"Me? I deserve to be here. I betrayed my kingdom and slept with a man I was not married too. It's not breaking a law but it's frowned upon by the king."  
"The king is mad."  
"The king is my father and I can't face him after what I did. After I dishonored him. I know he's a bad dude but what I did to him, to the kingdom, to myself, it's so much worse. Besides, I'd have to go through that whole 'I'm not gay like Billy" thing and then everyone would be confused. It's better this way kid. Besides, I like it down here. It's peaceful and they even throw in a kid to baby-sit every once in a while. That's not too bad. I even kinda began to like the kid." This prompted a blushing smile out of Dorrek who let out an accompanying small laugh.  
"On word of advice though," Pietro added. "Don't shave kid. Men rock the chest hair thing. Real men at least. I learned that it's also a pain to shave and you look like a teenage boy. Who wants to sleep with that?"  
"Word of advice for you?" Teddy said with smile. "Don't shave. The beard suits you. Makes you look smarter then you are."  
"Jee thanks... Now I hope Magnus kills you."  
"Dang that's a little far."  
"Kidding jeez. Take a joke."  
Teddy laughed slightly.  
"Just for that I'm not reading you a bedtime story anymore."  
"That's fine. I'll read you one," Teddy replied with a cocky smile.  
"Ew are you flirting with me?"  
"No..."  
"You're married."  
"I know..."  
"I'm straight."  
"What does that mean?"  
"I like boys."  
"I'm a boy."  
"Shit... Girls... I meant girls," Pietro stammered out. "Besides you're like my kid."  
"I was kidding."  
"Too far bro."  
The two remained silent for a moment and then began to laugh at the conversation that had just taken place.  
"But Yknow Namor wasn't half..." Pietro began yet another humorous thing to add to the conversation but was cut shot by the unlatching of the steel door of the cell. Immediately, the two turned to the door as it came to a screeching opening. Before the doors could open fully, a gust of wind raced through the room, a green and silver blur slamming into Pietros chest. When the dust had cleared Pietro looked down to see a young silver haired mutant with his arms clung around his waist. Tommy Maximoff, Pietros nephew stood with his head pressed into his uncles pec, never wanting to let go.  
"Unclepietroimisedyousomuch. Momsaidwewpuldneverseeyouagainandbillysaidyouweregayandhadsexwithnamorandthatyouwerethebottomwhichidontbelievebutifitstruethenthatsok. Istillloveyou. Butimstraightandilovekate. Haveyoumetkate? Shesmygirlfriend. Shelovesme! Shetoldmeso!" Tommy shrieked excitedly as he clung to his uncles waist tightly. To many, tommys ramblings when he got excited were incoherent and a garbled of words impossible for any human being to understand. Being gifted with the same speed as his nephew, Pietro had never fallen victim to this problem. He chuckled as Tommy spat out questions too fast for Dorrek himself to comprehend.  
"Yes I had sex with Namor. No I'm not gay. It was good though. Yes I know Kate and I'm very very glad you two are together."  
Tommy smiled up with admiration of his childhood role model and pride that his uncle had approved of his and Kate's relationship. "You're glad? For real?"  
"Yes for real... Tommy what are you doing here?"  
"Oh ya..." Tommy said, looking over to Dorrek who had been waiting patiently to be acknowledged by the boy. "Hey dude. You're husband and I are here to rescued you. Also my girls here. I got a girl now. She loves me."  
"Shut up already," Kate called out. Together her and Billy stepped into the room. Both donned skintight spandex attire, that of which they had worn on missions to save humans from Magnus's unjust rule.  
Dorrek and William instantly locked eyes, stopping Billy in his tracks. He had never seen such a look of utter disgust and hatred out the boy. It was then Billy had realized how Dorrek appeared, naked and bound to a metal chair, as if he had been there for weeks... Waiting. A knot began to tie itself in the hero's stomach as he stood there, not daring to break the eye contact with his husband. The rest of the room's population had gone quiet with suspense, wanting to see the resolution they had all been wishing for.  
"Uh... Tommy did I ever tell you about my trip to space?" Pietro asked the boy.  
"No!" Tommy gasped, turning his attention from his brother's awkward reunion for a story that much more interested him.  
"Cool. I'll share it with you and your girlfriend outside maybe. It's been a while since I've gotten some fresh air."  
"Ok!" Tommy shrieked excitedly once again. He zoomed over to Kate, picking her up bridal style and racing out of the room before she could utter a protest. Pietro stood there a moment, observing the reunion in a bitter silence and then became a blur, streaking across the room to the exit, leaving the two newly weds to the peace they deserved.  
Billy walked up to his husband's chair, not staying a word. Slowly, he lifted his leg up on to the chair and shot the alien a cocky smile. "We gotta stop seeing each other like this. I think we need a pants rule." Billy remarked trying to provoke a smile out of the boy.  
His attempt was met with a cold scowl. "Or maybe a no back stabbing rule you bitch." Dorrek replied angrily. "I bet you had a fun two weeks didn't you William? Probably playing favorite to granddaddy while I was left done here to rot. Tell me husband, were you ever out there, invisible beyond the glass wall you and your master propped me up before? Did you see your uncle having to feed me by hand like a child? Did you see him bath me with buckets of freezing water? Did you see him have to preform humiliating tasks to keep me healthy because of what you did to me? And then did you think you could come in here and whisk me away to happiness? Fuck you. I'd rather stay in this damn chair then ever lay in your bed again you disgusting cretin!"  
Through Dorrek's insults Billy stood tall, taking every word in stride, knowing what he had done, that this was in deed his fault but also knowing his husband knew not what he said. Teddy said what he did out of anger and frustration, out of weeks in captivity, out of the feeling of betrayal. He didn't know the entire story. Billy debated if he should or not but deep down the mutant knew the answer.  
"You done?" Billy asked raising an eyebrow. "My 'master' for the last few weeks has been Daken. My grandfather gave me to him after he used me to claim your kingdoms. Daken tortured me for two weeks, humiliating me and keeping me chained to his wall. Each day he would come in and molest me, dig his claws into my flesh until I would have sex with him. I never did. I was about to but Tommy came to my rescue. There, Daken raped my brother in front of me. So ya Teddy I've had a shitty honeymoon too. But I'm willing to get even if you are."  
Teddy remained silent, looking away, unable to apologize for what he had said. When he said it, he had meant every word but had been sorely mistaken. He felt like a fool to think Billy would ever betray him; he felt like an awful husband to ever give up hope that Billy would come.  
With that Billy let out a sigh, unlocking each shackle on his husbands chair and finally the collar around his neck. Almost instantly, Teddy felt his powers surging back to him. He smiled as the euphoric feeling overtook his body. He looked down at his chest, stained with thick blonde hairs. His first reaction was to get rid of them entirely but then remembered what Pietro had told him and thought against it. He looked back up to Billy who had stepped back from the chair and was configuring something on his phone.  
Dorrek stood, walking over to his husband and knocking the phone clean out of his hands.  
"Dude what the..." Before Billy could finish, Teddy pushed him up against the glass wall, letting their lips meet for the first time in two weeks. Billy's body instantly fell limp, his eyes stapling shut under the might of his husbands kiss. For weeks he had imagined this moment, lived it over and over again in his head and each time it had been perfect.  
Teddy then ceased the kiss, letting his headrest on Billy's, his eyes still closed, taking in the moment.  
"I'll kill him," Teddy finally said. "I'll kill Daken for touching you... For violating you both."  
"... Don't tell Tommy I told you. He threw up and he's... He's acting like it didn't happen. I think he's forgotten it."  
"He hasn't. I know the feeling Tommy is feeling. He wants to forget, he pretends like he did but it will never leave his mind. Not even for a moment. Never forget that he will always be shaped by what Daken did to him. It will always haunt him."  
"Teddy were you..."  
"No. My mother died. I went through a similar experience."  
"Oh..." Billy had felt like there was more to the story but did not wish to press the prince for more.  
"Where is he?"  
"Daken?"  
"Yes."  
Billy whistled and into the room walked a naked Daken on all fours, panting and huffing with a stupid smile on his face.  
"I... I don't understand." Teddy said as he stared down at the creature.  
"I already killed him... Or at least who he was. All I left was his most primal instincts. He's for all intensive purposes an innocent hound now. Loyal, obedient... Happy."  
"Why? Why would you let such a monster live?"  
"... He wasn't always this way Teddy. Someone did that to him. All that evil was someone's making. I couldn't kill him but I couldn't let him live. He's mine now. The tables are turned. He deserved to be happy... We all do."  
"Even Magnus?" Teddy questioned.  
"No... No not him. He's going to die today and we're going to drive the blade into his chest... Here," Billy paused, reaching into his satchel and pulling out a leather black suit, handing it to Dorrek. The alien looked at it puzzled. "It's for you silly. Can't fight evil as a bear."  
"Heh I guess you're right," Teddy said, unfolding the suit and putting it on.  
"Keeping the chest hair?"  
"Ya... Don't like it."  
"No I like it. Heh trust me I like it. It's good on you... The beard too?"  
"Do you not like the beard?"  
"No."  
"You're just jealous you don't have one."  
"Yes."  
"Well when this is over I'll get rid of it to make you feel better and you where that little hero suit of yours to bed one night. Deal?"  
"Deal. Total deal. When this is over..."  
"When this is over... We'll be happy like we always should have been."


	16. Chapter 16

Magnus sat on the top of his grand throne with a stolid, bored look plastered upon his face. For years he had sat in that very stop, overseeing countless transactions. Trades, pacts, executions, all had taken place before him in the superfluous seat. They chair itself had seen a lifetime of secrets, of love, of murder. For the king and his throne, these transactions never seemed to cease, not even for a moment. But when all had been said and done, the blood mopped off of the marble floor before him, the King could always count on one thing to always be there, to always show him hope for the future.  
Sitting there, high on his throne, Magnus had the indisputable best view of the city of Manhattan below. Each morning, the sun had risen behind the palace, painting the city with rich vibrant colors that had inspired many of Magnus's countless visitors. Each had gawked in awe as they stood on the balcony across from Magnus's throne, peering over at the kingdom below, the never-ending kingdom that they had all wished more then anything to possess. Each night, the sun would set over the horizon of the city, shining through the windows of buildings as it had disappeared to hide behind then until the next morn. Though the glorious beauty of the morning had forced even the most heartless of dictators to tears was indeed astounding to the ruler, the evening had grasped his attention even more. Magnus could not recount an evening he had not spent out on the balcony, peering out into the illuminated lives of his subjects below.  
In one apartment he had seen a teenage girl arguing with her father, an argument that would later lead to tears out of the daughter in her room and her father bursting in to sooth her. In others, the king had noticed children welcoming their hard working mother home each night after she had come off of her job. But for every good scene there seemed to be a hidden evil hidden in the threshold, for just a floor below had been a drunken man who beat his wife for sport or a daughter throwing up her meal in fear of gaining too much weight.  
Through the years the tenants of these apartments had changed but the situations had not. In fact, they had seemed to worsen with each new family. Many times the king had watched men and women take their lives, beat their spouses and children, fix minor inadequacies that were seen by him as perfections because the person in question felt that it hampered their life in some way. For years Magnus had wondered what would happen if he had intervened, if he had helped these people, if had saved then. Would they have been better for the experience? Safer? More secure? Or would he have saved blight on the face of his people that had not deserved to live in the first place?  
To the king, these people were not his subjects but a cancer that plagued his kingdom for decades. It had given him a sick form of satisfaction to watch these people suffer in pain. To him, they deserved every ounce of it.  
Once, when William had been young, Magnus brought the boy to his spot at sunset and asked his grandson what he saw. Billy had looked for a moment, observing the scenes before him and then replied "pain, grandfather." Magnus scowled at this response in disgust of the boy's compassion toward such an inferior set of people. "No my boy, what you see is weakness."  
This memory flooded back in the tyrants mind in this moment as the sun began to dim before him. How innocent Billy had been in that moment, so naive, so stupid. For years Magnus had tried to snuff out that ignorance, to harden the boy into the solider he had always needed. Sadly in this task, Magnus had failed time and time again. He had hoped Daken had better luck breaking the boy in the weeks prior. Magnus himself had never had the stomach to inflict more pain on the boy then he had. Love had set the man back in every endeavor to better Billy and for that, he carried a world of regret on his shoulders.  
In enslaving his grandson and handing him over to such a feral beast as Daken he had hoped the animal would make his grandson forget everything he was and stood for, forget the heroics and the compassion. He wanted a blank slate, a prince consumed by rage and fear, a true warrior. After that he would lease his grandson from Daken for espionage and wars with neighboring nations before sending him back to his new owner and hopeful lover. It all worked out so well in Magnus's mind but Daken's countless reports had snapped the man back into reality. His grandson would never be what the king needed him to be. He would never be a loyal instrument for the king to use when it pleased him. All Billy would ever be was a waste of resources. Magnus saw this now and realized that it was time to give up hope. It was time now to let Daken leave and take Billy with him. It was time to get rid of the boy's existence before his mother started asking questions.  
"You son of a bitch!" A voice calmed out from the entrance of the throne room, causing the king to turn, facing his accuser with the same stolid look as before. Before him, his daughter Lorna Dane rushed into the room, her hands balled into tightened fists by her side. Thoughtless angered surrounded the girl as she stomped, her emerald green eyes perusing her father with a great intensity.  
Despite the girls demeanor, Magnus seemed uninterested in the slightest as to what his daughters outburst was about this time. He simply rolled his eyes and sighed slightly, gazing out the window behind her once more, wishing not to be disturbed again during his favorite event of the day. But the woman persisted, marching up to the tyrants seat and standing firm, not backing down from her father.  
"Yknow, over all of these years I've stood by you father. I've done every last thing you've asked of me, I've protected you, I've even gone against my own brother to please you, all because I always believed you had our best interests at heart but today I realized that all you care about is your own damn self. That's all you've ever cared about isn't it?"  
Magnus sighed once more, hesitantly taking his eyes off of the sun set before him to look down at his daughter with a gaze filled with annoyance. "Lorna, I don't have time to deal whatever petty realization you've come to this time. I'll gladly discuss your new found psychosis with you at my earliest convenience and can refer you to a doctor in the mean time but before you leave, let me help you come back down to the reality of our bond, child. You do not follow me because you believe in my causes, nor do you do so out of the kindness of that withered heart of yours Lorna. You follow me because I demand as much out of you. Time and time again Wanda and Pietro both have defied me. They each have beaten me, humiliated me, ruined me on a grand scale but you have never so much as raised a finger towards me and here is why my child." With this, the king stood proudly off of his luxurious throne and waltzed down to his daughter, stopping inches before her face. "I love all of my children Lorna. I love you and I love my twins but if it came down to saving any of you, their lives would always come before yours any day of the week. It's plain to see that you are expendable my girl," Magnus stated, placing his hand on his daughters cheek. It irradiated with a fiery red anger as the king continued. "You possess nothing that I need. Your powers are weaker then my own and your mental stability is wavering. You are the weakest link in the family; you've always known this. It's why you protect me. You wish to make yourself needed, you wish to be irreplaceable to me but sadly, and you always will be. If I want something loyal, my dear, I can by a dog at the pound."  
Wish that, the king let his hand fall off the girls face, pulling them both behind his back as he passed her. Magnus walked out onto the balcony, hoping Lorna would abandon her position and exit the room promptly. But instead, the princess remained in the grand throne room, walking slowly behind her father until she stood by his side once again. For a moment, the two stood in silence, peering out at the kingdom beyond, their minds plagued with what the response of the other might be.  
"So..." Lorna began once again. "Is that all Billy is to you, father? Expendable?"  
"I have no idea what you mean my dear. William will inherit the throne after me. He is in no way expendable to me," Magnus replied, refusing to face his inquisitive daughter.  
"Ya... That's what you're afraid of isn't it, Magnus? Billy is gonna get this... All of it as soon as you kill over and you're afraid. You're afraid that you'll be forgotten aren't you? That your rule won't matter after you're finally dead? Is that why you let your grandson be torture and raped by your new assistant? Because you can't stand the idea of a ruler after you?"  
Magnus's eyes widened at his daughters accusation, surprised at the wellspring of information she had presented him. Hoping to maintain his secret, the king began to counter but was interrupted once again by his daughter.  
"Don't even try to weasel your way out of this one daddy. I have to admit, it was a great plan. Kill Dorrek and his father, enslave Billy and then pretend as if the two just went missing, maybe even ran off together to escape you. It was ingenious, almost full proof, except you didn't count on one thing. I can't believe you actually thought that stupid little monster of yours would get sloppy, that he would screw up even once. I saw Daken dad, every morning when he left his room, his hands still stained his dried blood from the night before. So I got suspicious. I broke into his room and found Billy, passed out, naked, and strung up like a trophy. Don't worry; I didn't break him out... If I did Wanda would have killed you... Though I suppose now in not as expendable as you had suspected."  
Magnus remained silent for a moment, not daring to take his eyes off of the buildings before him.  
"... What do you want daughter?"  
"Let him go. I'll get a telepath to erase his memory of what happened and make all of the boys, including Pietro, mindless slaves who serve the palace as elite guards. After that, I want Billy's position as next in line to the throne. I don't think he'll need it much after his mind is turned to mush."  
"Why?"  
"Because I'm tried of being second place daddy. It's just not the same. Do we have a pact father or not?"  
"Yes... We have a deal."  
Silence fell over the two once again, only broken by the vibration of a tightly wound bow behind the two. An arrow whizzed through the air, towards the Kings back. It stopped in midair, inches away from the rulers back. He smirked at the failed attempt to wound him and turned slowly with his daughter to face their attackers. There before them stood Kate bishop with a bow in hand. William, Tommy, Dorrek and Pietro stood on either side of the girl, all with angered expressions on their faces and all dressed for battle in spandex uniforms. Even Pietro adorned his old training uniform from his times with Magnus. The only one out the group that seemed out of place was a buff man, squatting next to Billy's leg and panting loudly. Dakens eyes were wide with an innocent nature and his head cocked to the side as he looked up at his former master, reduced to his primal instincts.  
Magnus smiled at first, his eyes falling upon his bastard son Pietro. For months he had let the boy rot in his cell, hoping that Pietro had been reduced to nothing. What Magnus saw had shocked him to his very core. There before him stood a ripened man, his hardened muscles pressed against the old training suit, bobbing up and down with each pent up breath. His face had been distorted with a thick, groomed beard and his stature stood straight and proud. All of this had made Magnus gawk in awe but one thing had stood out to the king, one detail that he had never seen in his son before, the rage that lay caged behind his eyes. Pietro was angry but he was not letting that anger rule over him, instead he channeled it into a plan, leading these children into battle alongside William. Magnus had felt many things in this moment but a sense of pride had outweighed every one of these emotions. Pride in his son.  
Pietro stepped forward slowly; his dark green spandex suit glistened in the beam on sum light that shined in from the palaces Windows before him. The man then held up a device, pressing a button and letting a message play. The last moments of Lorna and his conversation played before him, exposing him as the monster he truly was. With this, Pietro smirked, letting him arm fall as he looked to his father with a triumphant visage.  
"It's over father," he said with pride.  
Magnus scowled at this realization. "My dear I've taken you for many things over the years..." He began, turning to Lorna. Almost instantly, the arrow that hovered in the air before him turned to his daughter. Before Lorna could react, the arrow shot towards her, impelling in her shoulder, sending her falling toward the ground in pain. "But a traitor was never one of them. You really are useless to me after all."  
Then the tyrant paused, turning his cynical gaze back to his son who stood, unsurprised by Magnus's painful action towards his own daughter. The pain Lorna felt was only a fraction of that he and the rest of his compatriots had endured their entire lives. It sickened Pietro now to look upon his father. His stomach flustered, a feeling that he was either about to explode or throw up onto the palace floor. Regardless of his feelings, Pietro never showed the mad tyrant what he was feeling. His face was blank, void of emotion. Even the slightest sneer of disgust could give Magnus the satisfaction he sought.  
Slowly, Magnus crept closer to the man until the two faced each. Father and son stood adjacent, Pietro standing tall and firm like a true solider, a true leader. Magnus looked his son up and down in amazement, placing his hand on the mans chest as he examined.  
"You though, my boy." He began. "Well look at you. I sent you into that he'll a scrawny miserable excuse for a prince and you emerged a hardened leader, ready to strike down even his own father. You I have use for."  
"Stop it father. It's over. Don't make me end you right here in front of everyone," Pietro said stolidly, not moving an inch. His deepened voice rang out through the room, bouncing off, diminishing with each ring until the room grew silent once again.  
"Heh oh Pietro. Imprisonment can change many things but a childish grasp on reality is not one of them I suppose." With that Magnus swiped his hand, sending a sheet on metal flying towards Kate and Tommy, carrying them into the wall with it. There it held the two, suspended on the wall and unable to escape. Immediately, the boys assumed defensive stances. Dorreks arm grew out to a point edge and Daken growled, placing his arm on the ground before his master. Magnus merely smirked at the precautions. With a slight laugh he continued.  
"What was your plan exactly? Have my own daughter get me to confess to my crimes and bribe me into self-imprisonment with the information? Clever I have to admit my boy but let's face it, none of you stand a chance against me and even if you did none of you would have the heart to administer the final blow now would you? No. Because you see, I am your father, your grandfather, your ruler, and your master. You live to serve me. Without me, none of you have purpose. So I say this with an open-heart son. You stop this insurgence this instance and I will give you back your position, I will let you out of your cell and back into my good graces. You'll be king and all you have to do is kneel."  
Pietro stood there a moment, his fists clenched tightly as air escaped his nostrils. His heart pounded, as he looked his father in the eyes, remember the pain he had cause not only to him but also to Tommy and Billy. He remembers growing up with out his father, constantly on the run, constantly looking over his shoulder, constantly having to protect his sister. For years he had gotten along with Magnus. For years they all had grown dependent on a dictator who ruled with an iron fist. A heartless, cold-blooded dictator that had cared little for them or anyone else. All they had ever been to him were pawns and for once in his life, Pietro refused to be another mans toy. With one swift blow, Pietro clocked his father in the jaw, knocking his golden crown on the marble floor below with a loud clang.  
Magnus staggered back, wiping the blood from his lip in shock of Pietro's choice. "You'll regret that," he growled.  
"No... I won't," Pietro responded before his body became a blurred streak, rushing towards his father. Again he punched the tyrant and again and again until the once strong ruler knelt on his knees before the group.  
"Enough!" Magnus screamed before calling a sheet of metal over to shield his body. Pietro smacked into the metal at full speed, his fingers going limp as blood splattered out over the entire room. He grunted slightly as he came back into view, now lying on the floor in unimaginable pain. Every bone in his right arm had been broken. Quickly Magnus stood, walking over to his whimpering son on the floor before him. He stood there, looking pitifully down before spitting on the man and kicking in his stomach. "I knew your transformation was too good to be true you miserable whelp."  
Behind him, Magnus could hear the charge of an angered young alien, rushing towards him with a ferocious scream. Magnus simply stepped out of the way, allowing the hybrid to trip over his miserable son and fall onto the ground next to him.  
"I'm guessing the Kree never trained their soldiers in the art of silence or the art of deception either. If they had your ignorant excuse for a father may still be alive, Dorrek."  
Dorrek grunt, looking back up at Magnus through his long strands of golden hair that hung down before his eyes, distorting his vision slightly. "You're a monster. My father... He trusted you."  
"Yes and there was his first mistake and his last. My advice? Stay down if you do not wish to end up like him." Magnus once again waived his hand causing metal beams to protrude from the ground, tying down the alien. The king sighed as he watched the prince struggle against his bonds, tightening them each time the boy dared to shout an insult out until Dorrek could barely breathe.  
Magnus then turned back to his final opponent who stood now next to the throne as he had on many occasions before. Both looked to each other, awaiting the others attack. Dakens low growl broke the silence. Magnus smiled at Billy's pet and stepped forward.  
"I love what you've done with him. Very creative, though I realize you have a displacement for male genetalia but this is not a preference we all possess. Would it kill you to dress your new pet?"  
"Tried. He rips all of his clothes to shred. Much like I'm hoping he'll do to you," Billy responded with a glare.  
"Oh come now William, don't you think that's a bit cowardly? Getting your boy friend to do your dirty work for you?"  
"He's not my boy... You sold me to him."  
"More like gave. You possess no monitory value. Getting a man to pay for you would have been near to impossible. Giving you away for free was the only way to truly get rid of you. But nevertheless, why don't you leave the dog and face me like a man?"  
Billy nodded, signaling Daken to heel. The beast did as he was commanded, stepping back and lowering his head before jolting off to Pietro who still lay injured on the floor.  
Billy's eyes began to glow blue and then his body for a few moments before returning to normal.  
"I love the light show my boy but let's get this over with. I do not have all day." With that Magnus waived his hand to summon Kate's arrows out of her quiver but something was blocking his command. Shocked, Magnus tried once again and again to no avail. "What... You... You bastard what have you done?!"  
"Fight me like a man grandfather. Stop relying on your pitiful powers and face me."  
"Fine, I can kill you with my bare hands."  
Billy stepped down from the thrones platform, walking closer and closer to his grandfather.  
"You know, lately I've had a lot of time to thing Magnus and you want to know what I learned? All of this time I believed in you... We believed in you. We truly believed you were offering us utopia. A place where humans and mutants could coexist in harmony. But little by little you chipped away at the freedom until..." Billy touched his grandfathers chest, sending him flying to the ground with an onset of unbelievable gravity. "... You became the very thing you wished to abolish. You put humans into ghettos, you stripped them of their natural rights. Suddenly being normal had become a crime. You disgust me Magnus, not because you sold me, not because you manipulated us all, not because you inflicted pain on us all but because you gave up. You let your power corrupt you. You became weak."  
Billy punctuated his sentence with his foot upon his grandfather's chest, smearing mud onto his royal suit. Magnus snarled, struggling against the warped gravity that held him down.  
"I did this all for you. For you all. Your mother was nothing when I found her! You should worship the ground I walk on for what I did for you! For what I did for our kind!"  
"Our kind? All you ever cared about was yourself."  
"Then do it! Kill me! It should be easy. I let Daken have his way with you, I tortured you for years, I enslaved you and imprisoned your husband. So do it William. Kill me."  
Billy stood there in silence, biting his lower his as he looked down at his grandfather. A smile grazed the tyrants face as he lay there, nearly defeated.  
"You can't thought can you? Because somewhere deep down there you still trust me... You still love me... Or perhaps you loved what I did to you. How I made you less then you truly were. Perhaps you like feeling inadequate or you're so used to it that you do not know how to function otherwise. Let me go Billy and I will carry out Lorna's false plan. I will erase every memory of Daken's deeds from your mind... From your brothers. Things will go back to what they were and you will be my loyal solider. Tell me it's not what you desire most. Tell me that you still do not wish you could have my blessing, my love."  
The tyrant's words resonated in Billy's soul, appealing to his most inner pleasures, his most inner wishes. There was nothing he wanted more then to be his grandfathers pupil, to be his star, to learn all he could. Maybe this was his chance for the life he had always wanted. Perhaps this was a chance for all of them.  
Billy relinquished his power over Magnus, helping his grandfather to his feet with a defeated look upon his face.  
"Billy! No!" Pietro grunted out in pain. "It's not what you want! You have to finish this before he ruins us all! Please! Don't let him do this! Don't let him take away who we are... Who you are."  
"Do not pay your uncle any mind boy. You are doing what is right. Now, to show your loyalty, kneel before me William. Kneel before your master."  
Billy nodded, kneeling to his king in a solemn defeat. Magnus laughed, striking the boy with the back of his hand. "I always knew you were weak William but this is a new low, even for you. So desperate for a perfect family that you would let me rewrite your life for you. Ha! I'm going to enjoy your death most of all."  
Magnus raised his hand once again to strike the boy but paused at its peek. The king them squinted in pain, looking up at his arm that stayed plastered up high and then, brick by brick, began to disassemble.  
"I was never a good mother, father," a distorted female voice spoke behind the king angrily. "But to be fair I never had a true roll model now did I? For years I let you manipulate us... Manipulate me into every hair brained scheme you hatched up and we followed you stupidly and unaware of your true intentions. I always thought that you were my key to a perfect life. That if I was able to assemble you, my brother, my sister, my children, if I was able to have you all that maybe my life would cease to be tragic but time and time again you insisted on proving me wrong. I built up a perfect world on the false assumption that I would finally find the love I was looking for in this family. Sadly, that was not the case, for no paradise of mine could ever be perfect with you in it. So today I take down my perfect fairytale brick by traitorous, cynical, psychotic brick." With that Wanda's body glowed a bright red that spread out to every inch on the room, growing bright and bright until there was nothing left and the scene went black.


	17. Chapter 17

Tommy sat in the blissful darkness of his room, secluded. Before the young prince would have never dreamed of being so alone, so quiet, so relaxed. Before he would have seen times like this to be counter productive and a drain on his resources. There would always be a world to run on, adventures to partake in, quests that needed a hero and he wanted to be a part of each one. Somewhere along Tommy's heroic path, however, he lost track of why he was doing this in the first place. Freeing humans had never been about defying his grandfather or looking like a hero. In the beginning all Tommy had been was a blur on the security footage. No one knew his name or what he had done, all they had known was that they were safe from the tyranny of Magnus.  
The day Tommy had been caught assisting a girl out of a burning building was the day that changed his entire career as a vigilante. One trip, one mistake, one second of lying on the ground and the world had seen him for who he was, the prince of the House of M. The humans worshipped the boy, calling out to him whenever help was needed. The mutants treated him as a celebrity. The super hero prince they called him. How poetic it seemed to Tommy at the time. While Billy had gotten all of Magnus's attention, he had the world at his fingertips. So Tommy continued to save and reap the benefits of his newfound stardom, each day drifting farther and farther from his royal responsibilities and his end goal. For a time, Tommy was satisfied but he soon grew envious of the man Billy had grown into. The love that their grandfather exuded to the boy was a greater love then Tommy could ever know.  
He saw now that Magnus had played them all. The love he showed Billy was nothing more then a tool used to pray upon Tommy's jealousy. The years of exclusion were nothing more then stepping stones towards the monsters end song. The king had his pawns in place in the end but he never counted on the pawns seeing through his plans and revolting. In the end, Magnus had been brought down by none other then his own hubris. All of those years of careful planning, abuse and sin had vanishing in a spectacular flash of light. Magnus was gone and Billy was now to be king.  
Looking back, Tommy had always known it would end this way. He was never meant to take over for Magnus. He was too volatile, too rash and immature. None of those characteristics does a king make. For a while that had always bothered the boy but as he sat in his blackened room, alone for the first time in centuries, he finally felt as if maybe everything was going to be ok. That maybe being king was never something he had wanted, maybe being a hero... Being loved... Was all he had ever wanted and maybe now he had finally gotten those things. He had sacrificed himself for his twin as Billy had for him countless times before; he had Kate in his life, a woman who would love his unconditionally.  
Tommy smiled softly as he reached into the pockets of his dress pants. Slowly, the prince pulled out a small circular object and peered down at it with pride. Even in the void of darkness the diamond shined as bright as the love between its two owners. Tommy's hand clamped around the ring, his eyes closing with his fingers around the luxurious jewel. A single tear cascaded down his pale cheek. This would be his last moment alone for the rest of his life and somehow he was fine with that.  
As Tommy sat with his eyes clamped shut, fighting back the urge to cry, his door slowly pushed open letting an intruder into the room. Billy stood there for a moment, gazing at his brother in the doorway of his room. He watched in amazement as a tears began to fall onto the bedspread, staining its Crimson color with black spots. Billy bit his lip, conflicted. He did not want to intrude on Tommy's moment and embarrass the boy but desperately, he wanted to comfort his brother, to protect him as he always had. But maybe Tommy had enough of Billy's saving for one life. Maybe it was time for Billy to let go, to let his brother be alone just this once.  
Reluctantly, Billy turned to leave but was stopped almost instantly as a gust of wind blew behind him and a hand clamped down on his shoulder. Billy looked over his shoulder to see Tommy, looking down at the carpet below, not daring to make eye contact with the brother.  
"Stay... Please."  
A shutter ran down Billy's spine as he heard Tommy utter the words. Never once had Billy seen the boy so upset, so in need of help. Instantly Billy felt a wave of guilt wash over him. His mind traveled back to the day before were he had stood tied to the wall as he watched Daken violate his brother before him, helpless to stop it. If he had just given into Daken, if he had just done what the monster had said then maybe Tommy wouldn't be in this position. Then maybe they'd have been happy. All of them.  
Billy stepped back slowly, closing the door with a click and then turned to face his brother. He could barely bring himself to look at Tommy for every time he did, a feeling of guilt and disgust resonated in his stomach. It pained Billy to admit that, on some level, he resented his brother for his actions. If Tommy had just waited thirty minutes, Kate would have been there or if he had planned back up... In so many ways Tommy could have avoided the situation, he could have saved himself as he had before but he didn't. Tommy just laid down before Daken and consented to the beasts depraved wishes. To Billy, it almost seemed that Tommy wanted what happened to him.  
After a moment of agonizing silence, Tommy looked up to his brother who tried desperately not to dodge the boys gaze. He then, in the blink of an eye, wrapped his arms tightly around Billy, pressing his face into the boys pec just as he had when they were young and frightened. Ever fiber of the boy shook in fear as he stood there clinging to his brother. At first Billy had been surprised by the action, taken back, his body tensing at the contact. After a moment he relaxed, warping his arms gently around his brothers quaking body.  
"Yknow..." Billy started. "I'm really glad you're not wearing that stupid costume to my coronation."  
Tommy sniffled slightly as he let out a slight laugh. "Well I got someone to impress now. Gotta keep her guessing."  
"Well she must be special if she got you out of the spandex."  
Tommy rolled his eyes as he backed up, letting his arms fall from Billy and escaping his brother's grasp. "Ya well... I guess she is." Tommy then unclenched his fist, revealing the ring to his brother. Billy said nothing, nodding with a smile on his face. It came as no surprise to the prince that his brother was to marry the girl. In a way he had always known that they were meant to be together. Even from the day Billy had met Kate and brought her to the palace, he had seen the love brewing between the two. Tommy would always drop his food and throw things at the walls just to get Kate out to clean it up and in return she would always refuse and order the prince to pick it up in front of her. Magnus hated this and clearly wanted to protest the maids actions but before he could, Tommy always had the mess up in less then a second.  
Tommy smiled down at the ring and then laid it down on the bed, picking up his royal suit and putting it on over his tank top. Slowly he buttoned up each tier as he stared down at the ring. It gleamed in his eyes, bringing a new livelihood to the boys face the like of which Billy had never seen before.  
"Are you scared?" Billy asked confidently, already knowing the boys answer.  
"Were you?"  
"Terrified."  
"Of rejection?"  
"Of making a mistake."  
"Then no... I'm not afraid. I never am." Tommy lied, grinning back at his brother.  
"Oh shut up," Billy replied as he walked over to his brother. He promptly fixed the boys suit in the places Tommy had messed up in its construction. A badge or two was out of place and his collar was messed up. After straightening the suit out Billy patted the boys face. No matter how "unafraid" he was, Tommy would always need someone to look after him. Tommy rolled his eyes at the gesture, pulling on the tightened collar as if it were choking him.  
"Is King Billy gonna be this anal all the time?" Tommy questioned annoyed  
"I don't know. Oh and that's King Maximoff to you peasant."  
"Shut up."  
The two shared a smile once more before both looked away.  
"Have... Have you told her?" Billy asked timidly, not knowing how to approach the situation.  
"Told her what?" Tommy asked, though he already knew what his brother was referring to. The boys chest fluttered as the incident flew back into his mind. Every vivid detail pulsing in the boys brain. Tommy cringed slightly as he struggled to tame his thoughts, his memories. "I... I... No. Billy I haven't told her and I'm not going to. What happened... It has to stay between you and me. You have to promise. Please."  
"Why? Tommy you were raped."  
Tommy sighed slightly, as he ran a hand through his hair, grasping at his silver locks as he sat back on the bed. He desperately thought of an excuse, a reason as to why.  
"Billy... I wasn't raped. In that moment I felt helpless, in pain, disgusted with myself, but I wasn't raped. I had sex with Daken to free you. Never once did I scream 'no' or 'get off'. Deep down... I think I wanted it..."  
"Tommy... Are... Are you..."  
"What? No. No no no. I wasn't even hard dude. No. I'm not gay. Sorry."  
"Then why would you want something like that?" Billy questioned, taking a seat next to his brother on the bed.  
"Billy... I wanted to save you. I wanted to sacrifice myself for you... I wanted to be your hero for once. Ok?"  
"But... Tommy he gave you an ultimatum... It's not your fault. He probably would've killed you if..."  
"Billy..." Tommy interrupted, ceasing the boys ramped justification for his brothers actions.  
"Sorry..." Billy responded, looking away. "You didn't have to Yknow. I would've gotten out eventually... He would've gotten bored."  
"I know but I wanted to then. I wanted you safe Billy and I'd do anything to keep you that way... I know you have Dorrek now but from now on I promise to be the brother you always deserved Billy. I will never let anything happen to you again. You have my word. Ok?"  
Billy smiled slightly, looking away from his brother for a moment. In the end whether what Daken had raped his brother or both hadn't mattered. Tommy wasn't the victim; he was the martyr, sacrificing himself for what he believed in. As fast as Tommy had before, Billy wrapped his arms around his brother waist, digging his face into the boys pec for security.  
"Ok."


	18. Chapter 18

Being a ruler was never something William had wanted. Unlike his grandfather, Billy had never seen himself above any one. He always viewed his friends, his subjects, and his followers, as equals. As a prince he had never abused his title, never giving pride to it. It was a status he was born into, having gone through no struggle to obtain. Since a young age, Magnus had preached to Billy of the importance of equality in a kingdom and how the humans had once slandered the subject, burying it so far down that no man could ever again abide by its ruling.  
Magnus had started his empire on the basis of equality for all but it would seem that along the way the old doctor had been corrupted with the power he had obtained. In strive for mutant equality; he had become the very tyrant that he had despised for his entire life. In a sense, Billy pitied the man. Someone so full of hate as he was could never understand others, never walk amongst them, never trust them or love them. To Magnus, his subject had always been beneath him. Each year the king had built his pedestal higher and higher, loosing any sight of the ideals he had once abided by and eventually loosing the sight of the man he once was. Magnus lured himself into a false sense of security, believing that his actions could never come back to haunt him. For he made himself a God and how was anyone to match a power spanning as far as his?  
But the day came finally when the King had played his final hand and his plans, his empire had crumbled. The pedestal that he had once sat on so high now lay strewn in a wreckage of his own making.  
A shutter ran down Billy's spine as he stood before the grand double doors to his grandfathers throne room, remembering the events that had taken place within its walls just days before. Billy's mind dwelled on his weakness, his inability to destroy a man that had caused so much destruction and agony in his life. Billy had the chance to end Magnus then and there. He had the opportunity to avenge Teddy's father... To avenge his brother... But something in the moment had held him back. He had the power to end his grandfather but not the strength. In that moment, if it had not been for his mother, Billy would have let Magnus live. He would have eaten every fantasized lie the old bastard fed him just to keep that feeling of security, of pride. Just to feel that for once in his life, he had made Magnus proud.  
That weakness was in no way meant for a king. The entire way to the doors, Billy had stopped, he had staggered trying desperately to turn back and now that he stood there he could not move a muscle. A part of him yearned to walk through the doors and fulfill his duties, to undo the damage Magnus had inflicted onto the kingdom. The other half of Billy urged him to run, to hide and let another assume the role. A man more fit to be king, a man like his husband who stood eagerly next to him, tall and proud as any true ruler stood at all times.  
Teddy had been bred to be a king, to unify his people and bring peace to all. Never once had the alien prince even so much as slouched in his chair. He was the shining example of what the kingdom deserved, what it needed.  
Billy closed his eyes softly, turning his head from the doors with a certain grief weighing on his shoulders. He wanted to turn and leave this life behind. Leave it all behind. Just as Billy was ready to give into these fairly irresponsible urges, he felt a large hand move into his. Five bulky fingers intertwined with his, clutch his palm tightly in its grasp.  
Billy looked back to his husband who looked back down to him with a pleading look in his eyes. Teddy said nothing. He could feel the uncertainty irradiating off of his husband. If he had been in the same position, Teddy could not think that he would feel much different. Even he was afraid to assume control of his two nations. With his father no longer there guide him, Dorrek would now be all on his own. He needed Billy just as much as Billy needed him. He sends a slight nod to his husband as of to assert that they both knew what they had to do. Billy smiled softly and nodded back.  
Then the two turned to the doors before them and pushed them open, letting the cheers of a roar crowd fill the halls of the palace. The two dropped their clutches on each other's hands. To many, their open display of affection would have been observed as unprofessional and an affront to the ceremony. Today was not about the two after all. Today was about the kingdom receiving its new king.  
The royal family stood on either side of the throne. On the left stood Billy's mother Wanda, Pietro and Lorna. On the right stood Tommy and Kate to be joined by Teddy.  
The prince strode down the aisle of gawking fans and screeching subjects towards the throne. Towards their future. The two arrived at the throne and both took their positions immediately. Teddy walked to the side of the throne and stood tall next to Tommy who promptly jabbed the hybrid in his side. Teddy scowled in annoying but then returned to his stolid and rigid demeanor for the crowd before them. Billy stood tall and proud before the throne, every muscle in his body pulling him towards the chair, urging him to sit in it, to assume it's powers. The anticipation was murdering Billy as he stood as straight as a solider, looking out before the crowd just as the rest of the family had.  
Wanda abandoned her spot and walked before her son, projecting her body and voice out to the crowd.  
"Loyal subject of the House of M. Today we gather here for the coronation of the future King Maximoff. Today we leave behind the oppressive regimen of the old and usher in a bright new future of love and equality for all. The healing process may be slow and I assure you that our hardships are far from over but if there is any one capable of restoring this nations greatness once more, it is my son," Wanda exclaimed, shooting a proud smile back to her son that punctuated her last sentence.  
With that, Wanda reached out to the alter before them and picked up the crown, turning back to her son who stood ready to receive his title.  
"William Maximoff," Wanda spoke firmly. "Do you swear to protect this kingdom and all of its inhabitants with your life? Do you swear to do what is best in every situation for its glory and its people and never sully your power?"  
"I swear," Billy affirmed with a nod.  
Wanda smiled. "Then by my power, I pronounce you King William of the House of M." With that, she placed the crown on her sons head.  
Billy stood tall and proud as mother took a knee before him. "All hail King William." She proclaimed.  
Then, behind her, the entire room took to their knees and all shouted in unison. "All Hail King William!"  
With a prideful smirk Billy took the praise and worship in, finally taking a seat in his rightfully earned throne.


	19. Chapter 19

Magnus awoke with a zap from the power-dampening collar secured around his neck. For the better part of a few days, the collar had been the former rulers only way of telling time. The collar would zap him every morning at nine and would continue to do so every time he began to nod off until prompt nine at night.  
The rulers days were now spent bond in a similar fashion to the way he had imprisoned Dorrek. He sat naked, strapped to a metal chair with no means of escaping. Though in the spirit of fun, a few adjustments had been added. No mutant was permitted to visit the king under any circumstances, even to bring the tyrant sustenance. A gag had been placed in the man's mouth to stifle his slanderous outbursts. He was given an IV to endure he received the nutrition he had needed to live.  
Much of Magnus's days had consisted of struggling against his bonds and reliving every vivid moment of his defeat. The scene had played repetitively in the man's brain more and more with each passing day. The humiliation of his hubris had plagued the man, swelling him with anger as his muffled screams protruded through the gag into the empty room before him.  
No guard had been to the wing since the man's imprisonment. As far as the royal family was concerned, the tyrant had been dead and buried upon his defeat. The only being that had kept him alive was William, who pleaded with his mother for the man's life. In saving Magnus, Billy had inflicted a pain on the man worse then death. For the rest of his seemingly eternal life, Magnus would be strapped into that chair, lying to waist, forced to relive every mistake he had ever committed for the rest of his sentence.  
Magnus sat now, a blinding rage swelling in the pit of his stomach as he gazed through the glass wall before him. For the first time since his imprisonment, the tyrant was faced with an apparition, a ghost from his former life. Magnus had awoken to his grandson standing before him, a crown placed atop his head and a servant dog by his side as naked as Magnus himself.  
Billy smiled down at Daken, kneeling and rubbing the dehumanized man behind his ear. Daken panted wildly, howling in pleasure at Billy's benevolent action.  
"Funny thing this beast," Billy spoke aloud. "By altering Daken's brain I had thought he would be more obedient much like I was to you grandfather. But for the life of me I cannot get the beast to put on clothes. I suppose the feral just see no use for them. I don't. Not any longer. Not after what he did to me. Heh if it hadn't been for you, I'd probably have spent the rest of my days naked in my chambers. But you passed the throne to me and I must regain who I once was. It won't be as hard for me as it will for you. After all, after today I don't believe you'll be seeing anyone else for the rest of your miserable life. Mother was hesitant to even let me come down here today but I assured her I needed to."  
With that Billy stood once more facing his grandfathers cell. Daken moaned, rubbing his head gently against his master's leg as he sat, panting. Magnus did not even attempt to speak through the gag. He just sat, his head hung low in defeat as his silver locks hid his face from the boys view.  
"I became king today Yknow." Billy continued hesitantly. "... I'm going to do this right. I'm going to undo every damned thing you did, Magnus. I'm going tone the ruler you never were."  
Magnus did not do so much as budge at the assertion.  
"You realized, it sickens me... It disgusts me that you could let... That you wanted Daken to do what he did to me. You wanted that monster to break me, to torture and maim me beyond recognition. You were fine with him having his way with me... With Tommy."  
Magnus's eyes shot up in disbelief at the confession.  
"Ya. He let Daken in order to save me. You ruined every last one of our lives and for what? What did I ever do to you grandfather? Why does my existence threaten you so much that you felt you must get rid of me?! Your own grandson! Tell me WHY!" Billy screamed now at the top of his lungs. He cried to the heavens for an answer from the dictator. But sadly, none came. Just as Billy had suspected. Magnus simply let his head fall once more, ignoring his grandson's presence.  
Billy sighed as he wiped a final tear from his soft, frail cheek. He was not worth the drop. Not by a long shot. With that, Billy turned and began to walk away from his demon.  
"Illy..." Magnus called out, stopping Billy in his tracks. Billy looked back over his shoulder, ready for the man's explanation. "...our ...eak." Magnus stammer out with a look of pure hatred in his eyes.  
Before Billy would feel hurt, he would rush to his grandfather's side and continue to try and do better but this time was different. This time Billy new better. This time, Magnus's words had no effect on the man. Billy just smirked, letting out an amused laugh.  
He walked back to the door of the man's cell, pressing the button and opening the door. "Grandfather, I believe mother was harsh in her judgment. No man should ever have to be without company for the rest of his life."  
Billy then looked to his pet and cocked his head into the cell. Happily, Daken sprinted in, running up on all fours to his new master, trying desperately to lay in the mans lap.  
Billy closed and walked back to the glass in which Magnus sat bond in front of. For a moment Billy watched as Daken licked his master... His toy all over, even popping out his claws and scratching the man. Magnus scowled in disgusted, struggling to break free of his bonds, to kick the deranged man beast off of him.  
"I'd watch your new companion if I were. Especially when he's in heat," Billy added with a whimsical laugh. "I joke grandfather. Daken will behave himself. He's just very playful by nature. You two have fun though. I'll be seeing you around."  
With that Billy left the holding cells, no longer held down by his demons, listening as they whaled in agony behind him.


	20. Chapter 20

Billy sat naked on the edge of his bed as the moonlight shone in through the window before him. Dorrek had fallen asleep hours ago but something had kept Billy from retreating into his dreams just yet. For hours he had sat, gazing down at the glimmering crown clutched in his hands. Even through its gold trim Billy could see the scars left by Daken. He could make out the D carved into his flesh, making him as property of the creatures. So much had occurred in the past week, so much had changed, so much had been taken. It felt odd to Billy to sleep. Under his imprisonment it had been a foreign concept. He had constantly been kept awake in fear that his captor would return in the dead of night, in fear that each night would be his last.  
The scars no longer burned but stained the man's chest as constant reminders of his grandfather's hatred, of his trials to become king. Hair had begun to regrow on the man's chest and would soon cover these reminders, burying them deep beneath the surface but there they would always remain.  
Every time Billy had tried to close his eyes all he could see was Daken, dragging him away at the request of his grandfather, Tommy's sacrifice, captain marvels death. Billy had begun to wonder if these events would always plague his mind. If even on his most exhausted days that he would be deprived of sleep because of them.  
The king closed his eyes, placing his head against the crown, letting it's cool trim sooth his racing mind. Even with his past, his trials, he had a kingdom to run, a responsibility to its inhabitants and that must be met by any means necessary but as always, Billy found himself in a pool of self-doubt, drowning deep beneath the surface. Maybe becoming the king was a mistake. Maybe he was ready. Maybe he never would be.  
"Billy?" The voice of the king's drossy husband called out behind him, startling the man in the midst of his thoughts. "What are you doing?"  
"Nothing... You may return to sleep Dorrek." Billy replied, never letting his eyes leave their reflection in the golden trim of the crown.  
"Intoxicating isn't it?" Dorrek commented, referring to the crown in Billy's hands.  
"Ya... I'm overdosing." He retorted with a scoff. Teddy would never be able to understand the fear of running a kingdom. He had been bred for it since his conception and had been doing it for most of his life. Billy had been forced into it, only being taught enough to be used as Magnus's pawn.  
Dorrek frowned and got uncovered, crawling up behind Billy on the bed. Dorrek then wrapped his large, muscular arms around Billy, securing him in his grasp.  
"You are afraid?" Dorrek questioned.  
"No... Kings are not afraid of anything."  
"I must not be a king then because I am petrified," Dorrek retorted with a smile, letting his chin rest on Billy's shoulder, sharing the focal point of the crown with his husband.  
"Will... Billy... Bravery does not make a true ruler. Every man is consumed by fear and insecurity. Even I share you misconceptions about the throne. But what makes you and I great is not our false lack of fear but our ability to push through it and every situation that arises. What makes us... What makes you a King Billy is your will, your morals, your love. Along the way you will become fearful and insecure as it is the nature of things but unlike your grandfather, you will push through it and fight for what is right. You will win. Unlike Magnus you have a brother who loves you... A mother and a family of people that will lay down their life's for you... Me who will always hold you in your darkest night and protect you until your brightest morning... I love you William Maximoff, my king."  
Billy blushed, letting the crown fall to the floor as he turned back to Teddy with a smile. "I love you too King Dorrek..."  
The two then shared an endless, passionate kiss that whipped away the rest of the boys misconceptions and insecurities. As long as Billy had Dorrek by his side, he could take on anything that came his way.  
The two fell back onto the bed, Billy lying on the strong chest of his husband as Dorrek held him firmly by his waist. The final thing Billy heart as his mind began to drift was the consistent beats of Dorrek's heart beating against the Kings ear. With that, the Kings both drifted off into slumber, leaving behind every terrible event in their lives with the blood moon that dripped in the sky above. For the first time in his life, Billy had felt truly safe and for now... That was enough.

The End


End file.
